The Tactician and the Heiress
by Yolashillinia
Summary: Volume 1 of my Tactician of Elibe series. Contains Lyn's campaign. Lyn/Tactician, Sain/OC. Re-written 2015. Complete.
1. Prologue: The Girl from the Plains

Written in 2007-2009; re-written 2015.

Author's note: 'Ceniro' is pronounced 'keh-NEER-oh' because it's originally from Quenya.

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Prologue: A Girl From the Plains

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The young man walked steadily on his way, striding through the knee-deep yellow grasses of the Sacaean plains. He was rather short, and his pace was unhurried. The sun beat on his pale-green cloaked back, and suddenly he looked around and narrowed his grey eyes.

He was being followed.

He gripped his staff tighter and continued on.

"Here, you!" called one of his followers.

The young man turned, washing his face clean of the look of apprehension that had crossed it. "What can I do for you gentlemen?"

"You're crossing our land, stranger. You have to pay the toll or forfeit your life!"

"A bit harsh, isn't that?" the young man asked mildly. "I didn't know it was your land, and I'll be gone soon. Anyway, I have no money left. I don't look like a rich man, do I?"

"Don't play the fool with us," growled the other man, brandishing a large waraxe. "Everyone's got some money. Give us twenty gold and we'll forget we saw you."

The traveler took a step back, his worry beginning to break through. "I don't have any. I told you."

"Then we ain't got no use for you. C'mon, dispose of him."

The young man took another step back, flipping his cloak back over his right arm to give him free range of motion. He couldn't outrun these bandits, and he couldn't outfight them, but if he could defend himself with his staff long enough they gave up on him…

Although his weapon of choice wasn't a deadly weapon, he was holding his own, for the moment. He bashed the knuckles of one bandit, making him drop his axe and howl with pain, and deflected an attack from the other bandit. His breath was quick and uneven, and his heart was pounding so hard he could barely hear, but his hands were steadier than an onlooker might have expected.

He felt a sudden, dull blow to the back of his head, and felt sudden weightlessness. The last thing he sensed was the bandits shouting urgently.

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He came to, lying on something quite comfortable. As he stirred and groaned, the back of his head throbbing, he heard a woman's voice calling to him. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

"Nngh," was his terribly coherent answer, and he opened his eyes and sat up with effort.

He was lying on a cot in a small, round, one-roomed house that seemed to be made out of felt. Something that smelled really good was cooking over a fire in the centre of the hut; the smoke escaped through a lattice in the peak of the ceiling. But all these things were irrelevant in light of the fact that the most beautiful woman he had ever seen was leaning over him with an anxious expression in her large blue eyes.

He gawped like an idiot, then realized he was staring, blushed crimson, looked at the floor, glanced back at her, and back to the floor. But even in that brief look, he'd seen plenty. Her hair was dark-green, like most Sacaean people, and tied in a high ponytail on top of her head; it fell almost to her knees. She was dressed in a long traditional teal-coloured dress with slits in the sides of the skirt to enable easy movement, and as she turned back to the pot on the fire, giggling a little at his reaction to her, her movements were precise and graceful.

"Well, it's good you're awake, traveler," she said. "I'm glad I showed up in time to chase away those ruffians. Are you hungry?"

For answer, his stomach rumbled like an angry lion and he blushed some more, curling into himself to try to make it stop.

"My name's Lyn," said the girl, handing him a bowl of stew and a spoon. "What's your name?"

"C-ceniro," he stammered. "I-I'm from Lycia…" Stupid, he told himself. She didn't care about that.

"Lycia, hmm? What brings you to Sacae?" Or maybe she did?

"I was… I'm a wanderer, I want to see the world. I-I'm also a tactician by trade…"

"Can't be much call for that in Sacae, unfortunately… My mother was from Lycia," she said, and her bright, cheerful face fell for a moment. He was about to muster up the nerve to ask her what was wrong when she tilted her head. "Wait. I think I hear bandits. It must be those two again. Stay here while I check it out." She grabbed a pair of gloves, stuck a sheathed katana into her sash, and headed for the door of the hut.

"W-wait," Ceniro said. "I'll… I'll help." Stupid, he told himself. She didn't need his help.

"Are you sure?" she asked, pausing and looking at him with those blue eyes. "You had a nasty knock on the head."

He nodded. "Even if you don't need tactical advice, I can at least distract one of them and make it a fair fight."

"Only if you're sure," she said. "I wouldn't want you to get killed after you escaped them once already!"

"I'll be all right," he assured her, and promptly tripped over his own feet while reaching for his staff.

Her face was full of concern, but she didn't stop him from following her.

He was half-blinded by the sunlight when he stepped out of the hut, but he could see well enough that the two bandits were jogging in their direction, talking loudly about what horrible things they would do to Ceniro and Lyn and the little hut.

"Any advice, my tactician friend?" Lyn asked, half-teasing, as she loosened her sword in its sheath.

"I'll distract the one on the left; you take the one on the right. There's not much terrain to work with here, so it's pretty straightforward."

"Got it," she said with a confident – and blindingly beautiful – smile, and darted ahead of him, her sword flashing and hair streaming. He broke into a run to catch up with her, to prevent the other bandit from flanking her.

She was much faster than the man she was facing, and her sword more nimble than his axe. She deftly blocked his attacks and slashed at him, her strikes deadly accurate. The bandit drew back, bleeding heavily from the left arm, and swung his axe down on her head. She jumped to the side as the axe whooshed past her, but that left the bandit wide open.

Ceniro was very distracted. He really wanted to watch Lyn, who was like no other swordfighter he had ever seen, but a poor block of his bandit's axe left a deep gouge in his staff; too much more and it would break and he would really be defenseless. He just had to bide enough time that Lyn would be able to take over; he trusted she could handle the other man without input from him.

Then she was there, her sword slashing through the bandit's throat cleanly. Ceniro stumbled back, swallowing hard. He had seen violent death before, but he was still in no way used to it. He told himself that the bandits would have killed them both, and it helped a little, but… there were still two fresh corpses on the plains. He swallowed again and looked away. Maybe if he told himself it wasn't real? But that would lead too far in the other direction. He didn't want that.

"They won't bother anyone anymore," Lyn growled, wiping and sheathing her katana. When she looked at Ceniro, her face became worried again. "Are you all right? You're very pale. Is your head hurting badly?"

"It's not that," Ceniro tried to say, and fell to his knees to retch.

"Oh dear," Lyn said, hovering awkwardly. "You… haven't been in many battles, have you?"

"N-no," Ceniro confessed, recovering physically, but hoping the earth would swallow him up at some point soon. "I actually haven't had any employment yet…"

Lyn patted his shoulder comfortingly. "Well, come have some dinner and rest. You can sleep in my ger tonight."

"Your what?"

"The hut," Lyn said, pointing at it.

"Oh," he said stupidly, and nodded several times.

She was so kind. And strong and brave. She must think him a complete dunce. At least he'd be able to flee tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 1: A Family's Call

Chapter 1: A Family's Call

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Lyn tried to make him take the bed that night, but he mustered up enough backbone to insist on sleeping on the floor, which wasn't that uncomfortable with all the rugs it was made of. He didn't know her at all, but she seemed a little distracted the rest of the day.

At breakfast the next morning, she ate quickly, stared into her tea for a few seconds, then clapped her hands together and nodded decisively. "All right!"

"Huh?" Ceniro blurted out, almost dropping food out of his mouth.

"I've decided. I want to come with you."

He managed to swallow first this time. "Huh? What? I don't understand."

"You're a traveler, right? I want to travel with you. There isn't anything for me living alone on the plains here."

Ceniro blinked, staring. "But… um… we just met yesterday. Surely… your parents…"

Lyn shook her head, her forehead wrinkling in distress. "My parents are dead. Six months ago… the Taliver bandits slaughtered almost everyone. That's… maybe one reason I want to travel with you. I want to be stronger. Strong enough that nothing like that can happen again, that no one can defeat me. And I'm not going to earn that sitting here."

"Well, I'm grateful you were here…" Ceniro said. "I don't have any set destination, I just pick a direction and walk… If that doesn't bother you, and you want to come, I-I don't mind."

"That's great!" she cried, her face lighting up again, and he ducked his head, blushing. "I'm so glad! You won't regret it, I promise." Her smile turned cheeky. "I'll protect you from any other bandits roaming around."

He laughed nervously. "Um, what about the hou- ger?"

"We'll just leave it. It will come to no harm, and maybe someone else will find it useful. I had to sell my horse for food, so we'll be going on foot; I couldn't take it anyway. So where should we go first?"

"I was heading for Bulgar next…"

"Bulgar sounds like a good idea."

.

"Here we are," she said a few days later. "The largest city in Sacae! But you probably knew that. You've probably seen bigger cities in Lycia."

"I'm not in cities that often," Ceniro said. "I don't mind them, but they imply getting stuck in one place to me… I lived in Ostia for a couple years, but I'm actually from a small village."

"I see," Lyn said. "Well, I approve."

He smiled foolishly.

It was getting noisy, with all the crowds bustling around them. They were only stopping long enough to get supplies from the market, but it was a weekend and everyone else had the same idea as well. They hadn't even gotten halfway there when suddenly a brown-haired man in green armour appeared out of the crowd and seized Lyn's hand, an intense and slightly silly smile on his face. "My lady, you are just the most dazzling vision of loveliness!" He was leading his horse by the reins, looped around his left elbow, and it was now blocking their path. "Would you not favour me with your name? Or, better yet, your company?"

Lyn frowned and tried to take a step back. "Who are you and where are you from, sir knight, to spout such gibberish at strangers?"

The odd man grinned brightly. "I thought you'd never ask! I hail from Caelin in Lycia, home to men of passion and fire!"

Lyn shook her head, rolling her eyes. "Shouldn't that be 'home to idiots with big mouths'?"

"Ooh, you're even beautiful when you're cruel."

Lyn pulled her hand away with an annoyed jerk. "Let's go, Ceniro." She grabbed him by the arm – he flinched – and began trying to drag him into the crowd.

"Wait, please," called a different voice, and Lyn paused and turned to see a red-haired knight in similar red armour struggle through the crowd to stand next to the green-armoured knight. "I'm terribly sorry. Allow me to apologize for my companion's rudeness."

"Ah, Kent, my brother in arms! But I wasn't being rude, was I? You don't have to look so severe!"

"If your manners were better, I wouldn't have to!" The red-armoured knight shook his head in exasperation. "My lady, forgive my foolish friend. He is easily distracted and means no harm."

"Very well, but could you move aside? We'd like to pass on to the market."

"My apologies." Carefully, the knights backed their horses out of the way of the crowd. Lyn thanked them and made to pass, when suddenly the red-haired knight did a double-take. "Excuse me… but I have the feeling that we've met before…"

"Oh, come on, Kent!" the brown-haired knight exclaimed. "You just told me that was rude!"

"Are there no decent men among Lycia's knights?" Lyn cried, and stormed off, dragging Ceniro behind her.

From behind them, he heard a cry of "Wait, what? Our mission?" from the green knight, but Lyn was not stopping for anything.

"What was that all about?" Lyn growled to herself as she purchased food with irritation.

Ceniro said nothing. He'd never seen the knights before, and they weren't as bad as some he had met, but he figured it would do no good to say so. So instead he trailed after Lyn as they left through the east gate of the city.

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They had traveled for maybe an hour when Ceniro decided to leave the road and strike out across the open country. "I see more interesting things that way," he said shyly, and Lyn agreed easily. Their path led into a lightly wooded area, and he could see a river in the distance. Well, all rivers could be forded at some point.

But they had only walked maybe ten minutes when he stopped, looking around.

"Bandits?" Lyn asked, moving to a ready position with her hand on her sword.

"I think so," Ceniro said. "A lot, too. How many can you take?"

"Not more than two at a time."

"There's at least… six up ahead, maybe seven." He grimaced. "Not good. But we have more cover here. I'll have to be clever…"

"You didn't say 'run for it'," Lyn said, with a smile. "I like that." Even though it was definitely not the time, he blushed.

"Oi! You there, missy! Is your name Lyndis?"

The colour drained from Lyn's face. "What- how-"

"You're a pretty one, aren't you? That pretty head is going to earn us a lot of gold. Attack, boys!"

"Hold on!" came a shout from behind them, accompanied by the rumble of hoof-beats, and the two knights who had bothered them in town rode up behind them. The bandits stopped their charge, confused.

"You again!?" Lyn cried, her sword definitely in her hand now.

"Whew, finally caught up," said the green one. "Such numbers against two? Cowards, every one! We'll explain later, but for now-"

"May we assist you against these ruffians?" asked the red one.

"This is my fight!" Lyn cried. "We don't need your help."

"But I can't just sit here and do nothing…" said the green one.

"Lyn… we could use their help," Ceniro said.

Lyn huffed. "Fine. I'll give them a chance."

Ceniro bowed gratefully to the two knights. "Thank you so much. My name is Ceniro, and this is Lyn. I'm a tactician, and I can't really fight, so…"

"No problem," said the green knight. "I am Sain, and this is my partner Kent. Please, order me to charge so I can impress Lady Lyn!"

"Is that really all right?" Ceniro asked.

"Sir Ceniro," Kent said, "if Lady Lyndis trusts you, we shall as well. Please direct us as you would anyone."

"All right," Ceniro said, turning back to look at the bandits, who had clustered to discuss things. "While they're busy, here's what we'll do…"

"Clever," Sain said a moment later. "I like it."

"Is that all right?" Lyn asked. "It puts you in a lot of danger…"

"You're trusting me to come up with a strategy to defeat the enemy," Ceniro said. "The least I can do is trust you to fight your best. Ready? Go!"

It was four against six, and the trees would make things difficult for the horses, but Lyn and Ceniro ran in opposite directions, taunting the bandits to split up and follow them. Ceniro's heart was pounding again, but he felt more control than he had in the first battle with only Lyn. Now he had something to work with. He had noted that the bandits had no archers, which would make his job easier.

He glanced back over his shoulder and saw that two bandits had come after him. He could dodge two. "Lyn! Circle!" He distantly heard her acknowledgement, and heard the drumming of the knights' horses as they charged her pursuers. She turned the instant they passed her, and counterattacked, using the same grace and deadly accuracy that she had used the other day.

Ceniro couldn't spend much time evaluating her combat. The two bandits were still after him, and they were gaining on him – they were taller and, frankly, more fit. His body was currently built for endurance, for walking all day, not maintaining a sprint, even if it meant his life. Sooner or later he would have to turn and defend himself.

"Clear!" he heard Kent call.

"I need some help, then!" he shouted with the last of his breath, dodging around a tree. One bandit followed him, one went the other way to meet him as he doubled back to meet the others. He yelped with an embarrassingly high pitch and ducked by sheer instinct under the bandit's axe, almost slipping on the dry grass and soil. He caught himself and bolted towards the safety of the knights and Lyn.

As the knights charged towards him, he heard his two attackers slow and come to a halt. "Stupid knights, always meddling in other people's business," said one, and then Kent passed on Ceniro's left, Sain on his right, and he didn't dare look back to see what happened to the bandits.

He came to a halt as Lyn jogged up to him, her sword bloody. He bent over and put his hands on his knees, sucking in air. "Are you all right?" she asked him.

"I'll be all right," he said, panting. His legs felt heavy, but that would pass. He looked around. There was one man left, over by the river, and he looked like he was strongly reconsidering several life choices.

"All right, there's only the leader left," Ceniro said, straightening up. "Lyn, I'm sure you have questions for him; go for it. We'll watch your back." She took off running. The bandit tried to flee, but she caught up to him before he could go far and pressed her sword against his back.

"How did you know my name?" she demanded of him.

The bandit looked at her with fear. "If I tell you, will you let me go?"

Lyn considered, her shoulders hunched in anger. "I hate bandits. All bandits, brigands, pirates, those who murder and destroy without a second thought. I can satisfy my curiosity another way." She raised her sword.

"Wait!" The bandit threw himself at her feet. "I surrender! It's not worth it! Even if I kill you, your friends will get me! The person who hired me works for Lord Lundgren of Caelin! Please, let me live!"

Lyn gritted her teeth as the bandit shivered in fear at her feet. Then she wiped her katana and sheathed it with a sharp click. "I cannot kill someone who has surrendered. Leave your weapon here and begone! And if I ever see you again-"

"You won't, you won't!" The bandit turned and ran headlong, leaving his axe behind.

Lyn turned to the three men with her. "Who's Lord Lundgren?"

"He must mean…" Sain began.

Kent raised a hand. "I think, to explain properly, we must begin at the beginning. May we have your permission?"

"Go ahead," Lyn said.

"Lord Hausen is Marquess of Caelin," Kent began, leading his horse to the river to drink. "He had a daughter, but she eloped nineteen years ago with the chieftain of a Sacaean tribe. Lord Hausen was heartbroken that his only daughter would leave him, and for many years swore that he had no daughter."

"But about half a year ago," Sain continued, "he received a letter from his daughter. It said that she had been happily living on the plains with her husband and daughter, and that she hoped he would forgive her for eloping and allow her to visit someday. I have never seen him so happy as to learn that his daughter was alive, and that he was a grandfather."

"Thus, we were dispatched as messengers to Lady Madelyn, to tell her that her father would welcome her and her family with open arms," Kent said. "But we had not been in Sacae long when we learned that shortly after sending her letter, Lady Madelyn and her family were attacked by bandits. But we have not failed entirely, because I know you, Lady Lyndis, are Lady Madelyn's daughter."

Lyn stepped back with wide eyes. "My mother was indeed named Madelyn… from Lycia, from Caelin… she told me about it sometimes… How did you know it was me?"

"Your eyes," Kent said, a little awkwardly. "We never knew your mother… we were too young to have met her when she left. But you look exactly like her portrait in the castle, except with green hair. And Lyndis was the name of Lady Madelyn's mother, the late wife of Marquess Caelin, your grandmother."

"I see," Lyn said, and thought for a long minute. The knights waited patiently. "Wait! You forgot about this Lundgren person."

"He is your grandfather's younger brother," Kent said.

"He was all set to inherit since Lady Madelyn left, but now that you've been discovered… Let's just say I wouldn't put it past him to try to remove all the competition," Sain said.

"That's absurd," Lyn objected. "I have no interest in inheriting anything."

"Unfortunately, Lundgren is not a man to believe that, and I think the attempts on your life will probably continue."

Lyn looked at the knights. "And what would you advise me to do?"

"Come with us to Caelin!" Sain invited her. "We'll protect you from assassins. And it's what your grandfather would want."

"What if I decide not to go to Caelin?" Lyn asked.

"You may do as you wish, of course," Kent said. "We will accompany you, or not, as you choose."

Lyn put her hands on her hips, looking off into the distance as she thought. "I suppose I really have little choice. I think it might be best if I go with you." She looked at Ceniro. "What will you do? Would it be too much to ask for you to come with me?"

He had been a stranger to her a couple days ago, but these knights were newer strangers. "I never had any real plans. If you want me to come with you, I'd be happy to." He smiled. "It does sound important."

"Your help would be invaluable," Kent said. "I can't imagine that we won't be attacked again in all the way to Caelin."

"And then you'll get some proper experience," Lyn said, nodding. "Right, it's decided, then! To Caelin, and to family!"


	3. Chapter 2: Lyndis's Legion

Chapter 2: Lyndis's Legion

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It had been a day, and Lyn came to Ceniro in the morning. "I have a request."

"What is it?" he asked anxiously.

"It's nothing important," she assured him, smiling. "I was just thinking, there is a shrine to the spirits along the road we are journeying on. If we have time, I would like to visit it."

"Ooh, a shrine?" Sain asked. "That's to do with the Sacaean veneration of things like the earth and sky, right?"

"It's nice to see the old traditions respected," Kent said, smiling a tiny smile.

"Something like that," Lyn said. "The Sword of Spirits is housed in this one, and I'd like to ask it to bless my journey."

"Are you sure you don't want to ride my horse?" Sain asked Lyn for the third time.

"I'm sure," she said, but without the heat she'd had the day before. Sain was just like that, they were learning.

They continued journeying south, chatting idly on their way. Ceniro felt like he had never met such friendly people, and mostly let the others talk and listened to them; he liked it that way. Kent was rather quiet, and Sain was a bit loud, but they were both good men and clearly the best of friends. Lyn wanted to know as much as she could about her grandfather, and was quickly reassured that he was a good lord, whose people were industrious and prosperous and loved him very much.

They reached the shrine after a couple hours, but when they went to the door, a woman stopped them with frantic gestures. "Please, please help! There are wicked men in there. They mean to steal the sword!"

Lyn's hand went to her katana. "We have to help!"

"All right," Ceniro said. "Just let me take a peek inside. Is there a back door to this place?"

"N-no," the woman said. "But you could break a window, I suppose. The priest won't mind if you succeed!"

"We'll succeed," Lyn assured her. "How does it look?"

"There's eight of them," Ceniro said. "Some of them have swords, some have axes. The priest or whoever looks all right, he's in a corner. Not a lot of room to manoeuvre in there, so… Kent, Sain, we're going to block the door and draw them outside where you can run them down. Lyn, once we've gotten their attention, you go for the leader from a window. I'll… hmm. I think it would be better for everyone involved if I stayed behind the knights."

"Got it," Lyn said. "I can take the leader if you keep the rest off my back."

"I'll get the door," Ceniro said. "Let's go!"

He slammed the door open, and backed away behind the knights immediately. With Sain's effective taunting, the men in the shrine charged at the knights. When they had almost reached the door, a window shattered and Lyn made a neat dive-roll onto the stone floor, picking herself up again to charge, hair streaming, at the leader.

Said man was livid, almost frothing at the mouth. "How dare you! This sword is by right mine! Back off before I use it on your unworthy skulls!"

"You can't even get it out of the sheath," Lyn said. "It has rejected you! Who are you, anyway?"

"My name is Glass! The mercenary feared by the gods! This sword is the only one worthy of my skill!"

"Never heard of you," Lyn said. "But for attempting to defile the Sword of Spirits, you will be punished!"

"I'd like to see you try!" the mercenary roared. "Fear the swift strike of my sword-"

"Shut up!" Lyn yelled, attacking and forcing him to block.

Ceniro checked in on her, and turned back to directing the knights. Half the other mercenaries were down, and it wouldn't be long before the rest followed suit. These mercenaries weren't very good; certainly no match for trained Lycian knights.

The mercenary fighting Lyn was a bit better, but not as good as she was. His swings were wild, and she slid past his defenses to stab him in the chest. Ceniro flinched. He was glad that his job was not to kill anything. He probably wouldn't be able to do it.

The priest in the corner slowly got up, and Kent, entering the shrine on foot, hurried to help him while Sain looked around to see if any of the mercenaries had been missed. The priest approached Lyn and Ceniro at the altar. "So the Mani Katti is safe. Thank the spirits… and thank you, young travelers, for rescuing me and the sword."

"I beg your pardon, but what did you call it?" Kent asked.

"The name of the Sword of Spirits is the Mani Katti." The priest laid a hand on the sheathed sword fondly. "It has been waiting here for its true master for many years. The one who forged it has been forgotten, as have any past wielders. Now it serves mostly to bless travelers. Is that why you have come?"

"Yes," Lyn said. "I am making a journey to Lycia and thought I would stop by."

"Then lay your hands on the sword and may the spirits hear your prayer."

"Thank you," Lyn said, smiling gratefully, and reached out, closing her eyes.

But when her fingers touched the sheath, light began to spill out of its top, and a low hum began to resonate through the church. Lyn opened her eyes, jerked her hand back, and blinked as the light faded.

"Oh my," the priest said. "Could it be…"

"Why is it doing that?" Lyn asked anxiously. "Was it damaged in the battle?"

"I don't believe that is the cause," the priest said. "Please, touch it again."

Again, light began to pour out of the sheath.

"I think it has chosen you to wield it," the priest said to her.

Lyn dropped it on the altar again, startled, and backed away. "What? No. I couldn't- I can't! It's… It's the Mani Katti, why would it choose me?"

"If you require further proof, try to draw it from the sheath."

Lyn swallowed and reached for the sword. It slid effortlessly from the sheath, ringing quietly in her hand, still glowing. Ceniro remembered how hard the mercenary had tried to draw it and nodded.

"I don't understand," she said.

"It is the sword's wish," said the priest.

"It is remarkable," Kent said in quiet awe. "Lady Lyndis, I believe the sword is correct. Many legends tell of similar tales. Why should it not happen to you?"

"You look magnificent," Sain told her. "Like with this sword at your side, nothing can stop you."

"Very well," Lyn said. "I accept the wielding of the Mani Katti, and I will use it to defend everyone who needs my help."

"That is why it has chosen you," the priest said with satisfaction. "It knows you will use it for good. Now, you have a long journey ahead of you, don't you? I will not say good fortune be with you, because I know good fortune is with you."

"Thank you, sir! …Thank you!" Lyn cried, almost overcome with emotion. She took the sheath and sheathed the sword, and put the sheath through her sash next to her old sword, and the glowing ceased. "Let's go, you three! We have a long way to go!"

"Right behind you, my lady!" Sain cried.

.

They passed into North Bern, heading west on the south side of the mountains between Bern and Sacae. The region was hilly, forested, and generally known to be infested with bandits. But it was the fastest way to get to Lycia, so while they laughed and chatted, they were also on alert.

"So where are you from, Ceniro?" Lyn asked the first afternoon in Bern. "You've been very quiet."

"I don't mind listening to you all," he said shyly. "And… well, it doesn't really matter, does it?"

"Ooh, Master Mysterious over here," Sain teased him. "From your accent, I would say… Pherae?"

"Santaruz, actually," Ceniro said, giving up. "I was born in Araphen, but my parents moved to Santaruz when I was young. Something about better taxes… I don't really know. I was more focused on going to school and helping my father. He's a carpenter." After he said that, he braced himself, suddenly realizing that he had just outed himself as a peasant's son. Lyn was a noblewoman, both in Sacae and Lycia, and surely Kent and Sain were also highborn. Would they treat him differently?

The answer, as it turned out, was no. "Do you have any brothers and sisters?" Lyn asked.

"An older sister, and a younger brother."

"Are you going to visit after Caelin?" Sain asked. "Santaruz is very close to Caelin."

"No, not really," Ceniro asked, and hoped they wouldn't ask more.

"You don't want to see your family?" Lyn asked.

Her whole journey was to see her family; it was only natural she would find it a little odd. Ceniro lowered his head, hiding his eyes behind a fringe of light brown hair. "I… had a fight with my mother before I went to Ostia for training as a tactician. She doesn't like it."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Lyn said apologetically, and Sain changed the subject.

"Have I told you yet about my fiancée?" he asked, grinning excitedly.

"You flirted with me relentlessly and you have a fiancée?" Lyn cried indignantly.

"Absolutely," Sain said shamelessly. "Her name is Salir and she's from a little village named Coril. All the boys are crazy for her! Just like all the woman fall for my manly charms."

Lyn rolled her eyes, and Kent exhaled a little more strongly than usual, the ghost of a smile playing over his mouth. "I think there must be a few woman who somehow manage to resist."

"Every woman is a precious jewel to this earth," Sain said earnestly, but his eyes were twinkling. "My lovely Salir is, of course, the cutest and most playful of them all."

"They're of very similar minds," Kent said gravely.

"Have you ever heard them have a serious conversation?" Ceniro put in, smiling.

"Once. Maybe. When he was showing her how to curry his horse."

"Oh, come now, Kent!" Sain rejoined in good humour. "What about the time that… no… wait… Or the time that…"

"Heads up," Kent interrupted suddenly. "There could be trouble ahead."

In the valley opening before them, there were a couple clusters of houses huddled beside the road. Too small to really be called villages, they looked rather pathetic. And closest to them… the charred remains of another cluster of huts.

The two knights and Ceniro stared. "We didn't take this road coming north," Sain said in a low voice. "This is…"

"We are close to Taliver Mountain," Lyn said, her shoulders tense. "It is home to the most ruthless band of outlaws in Elibe, the ones who destroyed my tribe and my family. It only took one night… But the rest take their cue from the Taliver."

"Why doesn't their marquess do something?" Kent asked. "It's horrible. Surely any ruler would want to keep the highways safe."

Lyn laughed shortly. "This is Bern. This valley has no marquess. The settlers hang on as best they can. Travelers fare no better." She turned her head to look north at the mountains. "Someday I will return, and I will break their axes beneath me like twigs beneath a stallion's hooves."

"When that day comes, my lady, take me with you," Sain said, earnestly serious.

"I will come as well," Kent said.

"I'll come too," Ceniro said. "Even if I'm out in the middle of nowhere."

Lyn's expression lightened a little, and she gave them a melancholy little grateful smile. "Everyone… Thank you."

A girl's cry echoed through the forest. Lyn spun, her hand going to her sword. "There are bandits ahead now!"

"We must help their victim," Kent said. "Ceniro?" Ceniro had had a battle to get the knights to stop calling him 'sir', but he had won out in the end and felt better for it. In return, they had also easily allowed him to call them by their names without titles or honorifics, which was something that he forgot about far too easily. Lyn, unfortunately for her, had lost a similar battle, and both knights insisted on calling her 'Lady', and Kent still wasn't convinced it was fine to call her 'Lyn'.

"We need to find out what's going on, first," Ceniro said, quickening his pace. "I can't see anything from here."

"Is that…" Lyn ran forward, past the tactician, off the road and through the forest. "That's a pegasus!"

"A pegasus?" Ceniro asked, his face brightening.

"You like pegasus knights?" Sain asked with a wink.

"I never worked with a pegasus knight before, not even in training. I admire them, though."

"It is!" Lyn cried. "And… Florina!"

So much for surprise, but it was fine. At Lyn's cry, the pegasus rider turned towards their rapidly approaching group with a cry of joy, pulling away from the thugs who had a tight grip on her slender wrists. "Lyn!"

Lyn ran to her, heedless of the danger of the men, and hugged the girl tightly. "Florina, what are you doing in this place?"

Florina sniffled, clinging to Lyn. Her eyes were hidden behind a curtain of tumbled lavender hair, but her cheeks and nose were still red from crying. "I… I was coming to visit you, after your mom… but then I heard you left Sacae with three strangers, and I was worried, so I… I-I landed here to see if anyone had seen you, but I…"

"She stepped on my friend here, and she's going to pay!" one of the thugs announced, holding out a fist threateningly towards Lyn.

"Don't be absurd," Lyn said, irritated. "Can't you just let a little accident go? I know Florina, and she's probably apologized many times already."

"Many times," Florina said. "But they wouldn't listen!"

"That's not good enough! Who's going to pay for his doctor's bills, hmm? She owes us, so she's coming with us!"

Lyn's face darkened. "You're not Taliver, are you?"

"What? No! Those ones will even kill women and children."

"Crazy, I tell you," said the other thug mournfully. "Absolutely crazy. Such a waste."

"But I'll tell you what. We'll let your cute friend go if you come with us instead." The first thug let a heavy hand fall on Lyn's shoulder.

"Unhand Lady Lyndis!" Kent demanded, drawing his sword.

"Let me go or I'll gut you on the spot," Lyn hissed.

"Fine, we'll capture you fair and square. Deal?" The thugs ran off.

"They'll be back in a moment, undoubtedly," Lyn said. "They've just gone to get reinforcements. Do we run, or fight?"

"We fight, of course!" Sain said. "A lady's honour has been insulted! We must make sure they never do that again!" Kent nodded slowly.

"I was hoping you'd say that," Lyn said. "Ceniro? What do you think?"

"We can fight them," Ceniro said calmly. "This might be tricky to co-ordinate, but I guess I don't have to get too fancy out here."

"Can you fight, Florina?"

Florina hesitated for a moment, seemingly having an internal debate with herself. Then she rubbed her eyes, patted her cheeks in a bracing manner, and turned to her pegasus, retrieving a long, slender spear. "…Y-yes, I can fight. But, Lyn, who are all these… men?"

"This person is Ceniro, and he's a tactician whom I just met one day. He's very nice, and he'll give you good directions, so you don't have to worry about him. These are Kent and Sain, and I'll explain why I'm with them later." She turned to Ceniro. "I… know it's another thing to ask, but we should warn these hamlets that we're fighting. We don't want the bandits to take advantage of the confusion and destroy anything else."

"All right. Florina, that will be your first job. The bandits look like they'll be coming from the northwest, so Lyn, Kent, Sain, we'll head that way. I'll give you more detailed instructions in a moment. Florina, I want you to warn those houses about this battle, and then fly up and tell me where the enemies are and what kind of weapons they have, if you can see them."

"G-g-got it!" She swung onto the back of her pegasus and with a whoosh of wings, she was off.

A few minutes later, Ceniro heard her scream, and swung around. "Kent-"

"It's all right," Lyn said, though she had started and almost taken off running. "She's not in physical danger, just startled."

"Old friend of yours?" Sain asked.

"We grew up together. Her mother was too weak to birth and raise her in Ilia, so they stayed with my family when I was small, and we stayed in touch afterwards."

Bushes rustled behind them, and they spun around again, to be greeted by a young man with a cheerful grin and a bow on his back. "Hey! The nice girl said you're fighting the bandits?"

"We are," Kent said. "Who are you?"

"My name's Wil. I'm an archer, um, obviously, and I want to help! These guys have been a real pain and I can't get home to Lycia until they stop it."

"That explains why she was startled," Lyn murmured to Ceniro. "She's shy of men, but she's always afraid of people with bows. She's afraid they'll shoot her pegasus out of the air, even if she knows they're friendly people."

"Ooh, I see," Wil said. "I'm really sorry about that. I'll try and keep out of her way."

"In any case, welcome to the fight, Wil," Ceniro said. "We're actually waiting for it to get going, and we are attacking uphill… Never fun."

"Totally agree," Wil said, unslinging his bow from his back. "So who's in charge?"

"He is," Lyn said, pointing at Ceniro. "This is Ceniro, our tactician. My name's Lyn. This is Kent and Sain."

Ceniro looked to the air, and Florina swooped down to land beside them. "Th-they're coming… I think it was four people with axes, three people with swords, and an a-a-archer." She saw Wil and started, and Wil gave her a friendly wave.

Ceniro squinted up the hill. "The bushes are too thick for me to really see, but here's what we're going to do…"

.

"So Florina," Lyn said once the bandits had either been killed or retreated, "what brought you to visit me?"

"Well… you remember the knighting ceremony of the Pegasus Knights of Ilia?" Florina chirped, completely happy now that the danger was over.

"Vaguely," Lyn said. "You've been knighted? Congratulations! That's wonderful."

"Um, so you see, I'm supposed to join a group of mercenaries for further training. So, I… um… I wanted to get your advice first."

"Hm, but Florina, most groups of mercenaries are men, aren't they? I can't imagine you'd be at all comfortable with any of them. Why can't they just put you in one of the Wings?"

"The Wings are for knights who've proven themselves already, though," Florina said. "It's to ensure that anyone hiring a knight from a Wing gets proven quality." She lowered her head. "I… I just thought I'd be able to work it out somehow…"

"Beautiful Florina!" Sain cried, throwing his arms wide. She squeaked and hid behind Lyn. "Why not join us? Lyndis's Legion is a fine group of mercenaries with the addition of Wil here, are we not?"

"Wait, did you just include me?" Wil asked hopefully.

Kent smacked his palm into his face. "Sain, Sain, Sain…"

"Yes, do you need me for anything?" Sain said impudently. "What do you say, sweet Florina? You can travel with your friend Lyn and do your training under a master tactician!"

"That's laying it on a bit thick," Ceniro mumbled, blushing.

"I-I would like that," Florina said to Lyn.

Lyn chuckled. "All right. I'm glad to have you with me, Florina. Wil, sorry for dragging you into this."

"It's no problem," Wil said, smiling easily. "I mean, you're going to Lycia too, right? I'd be totally happy to join, ah, Lyndis's Legion and get safely through the rest of Bern."

"Both of you are very welcome," Kent said earnestly.

"So, um, what are you guys going to Lycia for, anyway?" Wil asked.

"It's a bit of a story," Sain said.

"Which you are not going to tell," Kent interrupted. "Lady Lyndis?"


	4. Chapter 3: Bandit's Pride

Chapter 3: Bandits' Pride

.

"There's an old fortress ahead that should do perfectly," Wil reported, having returned from scouting ahead with Sain for somewhere to stay the night.

Sain shook his head. "I'm still not too sure about it. It's a musty old tower. It's probably horribly drafty and uncomfortable."

Ceniro hesitated. "We can't afford to camp out in the open tonight, not in this country."

"I know," Sain said, "but surely there is a better place we can go…"

"There isn't an inn for miles," Kent told him. "I doubt the local villagers will be willing to put up a group as large as ours, and a tower sounds defensible. We'll have to make the best of it, it's getting dark."

"It sounds fine," Lyn said. "No one's expecting marble halls or anything." Beside her, Florina nodded.

"At least it's not cold," Wil said cheerfully.

Over the next hill, they spotted the tower and made for it. It was a blocky, square thing with an extra outer wall, although the outer wall was crumbling in places. It was clearly uninhabited, and they entered it eagerly. The knights went to check around the outside, while Wil brought wood from an old pile so Lyn could start a fire in the tower's fireplace. Florina took care of the horses and her pegasus, feeding them and brushing them down.

"So what's your story?" Lyn asked Wil.

Wil dumped another armful of wood beside her. "Eh, I was an idiot and ran away with my best friend as a kid to 'see the world' and 'make my fortune'. …And then a couple years later, Dan had the nerve to disappear on me in Badon! I, um, I didn't really have much of an idea what to do next, so I kept going, kept wandering around, kept myself fed by offering my skills as a hunter or helping villagers shoot bandits… I've been getting homesick, though, and now's a good a time as any to head home, right?"

"Sounds a little like Ceniro's story," Lyn said.

"Oh really?" Wil said, turning his eager smile on the tactician.

Ceniro backed away, averting his eyes. "Well, I… I guess, sort of? But I don't have hunting skills like you."

"That's pretty cool!" Wil said. "I had no idea that-"

Florina screamed. Lyn, Wil, and Ceniro all started towards her; she had jumped back from Kent's horse, the one closest to the stairs. A figure stood there in the shadows.

"Ah… pardon me…" said the figure, and a woman slowly limped down the stairs and into the light of the fire, accompanied by a large husky dog. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"I-I'm sorry," Florina said to everyone. "I-I thought… Sorry."

"It's all right!" Wil said. "Don't worry about it." To Ceniro's surprise, she smiled a tiny smile.

"What's happened?" Sain asked urgently as the knights entered. "The perimeter of the tower is clear, but we heard something…"

"Nothing dangerous," Lyn assured them. "This woman startled Florina, that's all. Who are you?" she asked the woman gently. "What are you doing here?"

"My name is Natalie. And, er, this is my dog Howard. I've been looking for my husband, but… I thought I would rest here for the night. You are travelers?"

"My name is Lyn, and I'm going with my friends to Lycia," said Lyn.

"Have you seen my husband? He is tall and well-built, and has reddish hair and a slight beard… He was wearing a green shirt when I last saw him, and he probably had his axe… He's a mercenary, you see, but I'm afraid he's gotten mixed up with a bad group. His name is Dorcas."

"I'm afraid I don't recall anyone of that description," Lyn said, after a glance at the others to confirm.

"We should set a watch," Kent said to Ceniro. "We might be attacked in the night, and we must protect Lady Lyn and Miss Natalie."

"All right, then Wil and Sain will take first watch, you and I will take second watch, and Lyn and Florina will take third watch."

"Got it!" Wil said, grabbing his bow and heading out to the front of the tower.

"Why would Dorcas get involved in such a bad group?" Lyn asked Natalie, bending to pet the dog. "What a nice dog!"

"Yes, I love dogs. He's my best friend when Dorcas is away…" Natalie hesitated, looking down. "Well… It's my leg. I injured it when I was a child, and it never healed properly… but if we had enough money, we could go to Aquleia to have it looked at by a powerful healer. So… he's been taking jobs that maybe he shouldn't, trying to get enough… I tell him that it's all right, that it doesn't bother me anymore, but he's determined to help me." She sighed unhappily.

"That's too bad," Lyn said. "I hope you can find him and convince him soon."

A few minutes later, Sain popped his head through the door. "Lady Lyn! Those bandits we fought earlier today are back, yelling something about revenge."

"Prepare for battle," Ceniro said automatically, and thanked his training that he could muster his voice when he needed to. "They'll check the tower for certain. Kent, Sain, we'll do the same thing we did at the shrine. Wil, Florina, Lyn, the east wall has a gap in it and I want you there. We'll fight defensively today until I'm sure they don't have any more reinforcements."

"Oh dear," Natalie said.

"Don't worry," Florina said. "I've only been with Lyn since this afternoon, but her tactician is really good. We'll protect you."

"Is there a good view from the top of the tower?" Ceniro asked Natalie as the others prepared themselves. "Normally I like to be on the ground with my fighters but in this case it might be helpful to see all sides…"

"Yes, you can see everything from up there."

"Why don't you join me? Nothing should get past our friends, but if they do, I can fight well enough to defend you."

"I don't want to slow you down…"

"It's fine," he assured her. "You won't get in my way."

The view from the top of the tower was pretty good; he could see almost everything in the surrounding fields. Bandits were rushing towards them, making to surround the tower. Ceniro belated wondered if any of the walls could be climbed. The east wall had a gap, but the west wall wasn't looking in great condition either. With the gate in the south wall, only the north wall was solidly defensible.

He'd figure it out.

Natalie was anxiously watching the bandits run towards them when she gasped and her hands flew to her mouth. "Oh Saint Elimine, that's- Dorcas is down there! Dorcas is with these men! Please, don't kill him!" Responding to her distress, her dog barked urgently.

"Lyn!" Ceniro shouted down. "Natalie says Dorcas is in the group coming towards you! See if he'll stop fighting us!"

She called back an affirmative, and a few moments later he could hear her shouting at the enemy lines. After a few more minutes, he saw one of the men with the bandits turn away from the others, joining Lyn and Wil.

Ceniro's orders worked out better than even he had expected, and they were eventually able to sally out of the tower to divide and conquer the enemy. With the sky growing too dark to see without torches, the bandits fled into the night, leaving Ceniro's group alive. Not everyone was free of injury, but when they regrouped in the tower, a few vulneraries and bandages for Dorcas and Sain took care of everything.

"And here's Ceniro," Lyn said, bringing the tall, strong, serious-looking man over to him.

Dorcas looked past Ceniro. "Natalie! Natalie, I'm so sorry." He went and embraced his wife.

"I was so worried… But you've left those people, right?"

"Yes, I have. I'm so sorry, Natalie. The… the money's not worth it, not when they're the kind of men that they are."

"Can you explain?" Kent asked.

Dorcas turned to them. "They called themselves the Ganelon Mercenaries, but Ganelon Bandits is a better name for them. They approached me a couple days ago and offered me twice the going rate for a mercenary of my rank. I knew they weren't the most savoury of characters, but… it's a lot of money, so I shut my mouth and took it. I… didn't think they would attempt to sell my own wife into slavery."

"It rather defeats the purpose of taking the job for your wife's sake," Wil mumbled, then put a hand over his mouth.

Dorcas shrugged. "It does. And so, I owe you a great debt. I'll take Natalie home tonight, and then I'll come back tomorrow morning."

"Why is that?" Lyn asked.

"I want to join you," Dorcas said. "I want to try to repay you for defending my wife… and getting me out of a bad situation."

Lyn blinked slowly. "Ah… if you like. We won't say no!"

"I won't worry for you, if you're with these people," Natalie said to Dorcas, petting the head of her dog. "They're good people."

Dorcas bowed. "Thank you for having me. I will see you in the morning." He bent and picked up his wife gently in his arms, and walked out of the tower.

"I hope it's safe to let them go alone," Florina said. "Maybe I should go with them…?"

"I don't think the bandits will come back," Wil said. "The bad guys around here don't like fighting at night, it seems. I think they'll be all right. Did you say I'm on first watch?"

"You and Sain," Ceniro said. "Come get me in two hours."

.

Wil woke him, yawning cavernously, two hours later, and Ceniro went to wake up Kent. He felt pretty groggy, and had to shake himself several times as he took a position where he could watch the eastern gap in the wall. He'd been taught how to set a watch, but he'd never had to do it before, let alone take part in it himself. Traveling alone didn't have that responsibility.

If he leaned to one side, he could see Kent's tall figure pacing slowly back and forth across the main entrance. He wondered if it was a breach of protocol or manners or whatever to talk while on watch. His teacher hadn't told him, and he had never thought to ask.

After about half an hour, he was bored enough that he dared risk it. "Ah… hey, Kent."

"Hmm? What's the matter?"

"I was… I was wondering, is it a problem that I can't fight?"

He saw Kent's shadow turn in his direction. "No, why?"

"I just… when I was a student, everyone else could fight, and they used themselves in their strategies much better than I could. I can't…" He took a deep breath and said what was really bothering him. "Don't you think it's a bad thing that I can tell you to kill people, and I couldn't kill anyone?"

Kent was silent for a long moment. "If it's not what you were trained to do, it's not your job. It's our duty to defend Lady Lyndis, and anyone else requiring our aid. That includes you, as a civilian. If our duty involves killing those who threaten you and Lady Lyndis, then so be it. …Sain and I have been trained to fight since we were thirteen. We were exposed to real battle a long time before you, I think. I don't want to say we're used to death, but… we have come to terms with it, seeing it, and dealing it. And maybe it will be like that for you. I think you said that you had never actually taken a job as a tactician before?"

"Yes," Ceniro said. "For a variety of reasons… the opportunity never really came my way until I met Lyn. I've done a couple things for villages, helping them defend against raiders and so on in exchange for food, but it was bad for me then, too. The… the practice battles in my training were definitely not the same."

"Mm." After another pause, Kent went on. "You are very good at what you do, and I am coming to trust you of my own volition, not just because Lady Lyndis does so. I can assure you we will obey your orders without question, no matter what, so please try not to worry too much about your inexperience or your lack of combat skills."

So Kent wasn't worried about any moral issues, which made him feel a bit better. "My teacher told me more than once that doubt kills, and it's sometimes better to make a mistake with confidence than to be right with doubts. Because a battle is all or nothing, and caution is one thing, and doubt is another."

"Your teacher was probably right. Who was he?"

"Uh… Lord Garlent, in Ostia?"

"I vaguely know his name, yes. With a teacher like him, why would you find it hard to find a job?"

"Firstly, because I want to travel," Ceniro said, smiling. "Not many lords require – or think they require – a tactician while traveling, unless they're going to pick a fight with someone, and I don't want to work for someone like that. And sitting in a castle for months would be horribly dull for me… Also, because… um… my father is a carpenter."

"I don't understand… They want a noble-born tactician?"

"Yes. Everyone else in my class was high-born."

"Hmm." Kent thought. "Why work for a lord, however? Surely there are other groups, mercenaries, perhaps, who would love to have an Ostian-trained tactician of your skill. They might not pay as well as a nobleman, but I have a feeling you don't worry about that too much."

"Er… Because I didn't think of that." Ceniro hung his head. "It was never really talked about in my class; everyone assumed they'd be working for one marquess or another. I… I guess I'm kind of dumb. And you're right, I don't worry about money until I run out of food…"

"It's an idea," Kent said gently. "Take it as you will…"

"Thanks," Ceniro said awkwardly, and silence fell between them again.

.

Dorcas joined them early the next morning, and they set off westward immediately. Lyn thought the bandits might chase after them even now, and hoped they'd be able to cross the border into Lycia before sundown. While Wil chatted with Florina, trying to get her to come out of her shell around him even when he was carrying his bow, Kent and Sain and Lyn discussed the plans for where they were staying the evening.

"I've heard the lady who keeps the inn at the crossing is said to be a beauty," Sain said with a wink and a smile.

Kent sighed. "If your behaviour is as deplorable as ever, we'd best stay elsewhere…"

"Oh, come now, Kent! Good food and flirtation are the two things every man needs!"

"We're not here for sightseeing," Kent told him sternly, but Ceniro could see the hint of an exasperated smile hovering in the corner of his mouth. "Lady Lyndis-"

"The inn will be fine," Lyn said. "It will be nice to sleep in a proper bed and all."

"Lady Lyndis, you are truly an angel from on high!" Sain cried, kissing her hand. She snatched it away with another eyeroll.

"Don't make me regret it, Sain."

"I assure you, there are no regrets to be had when I'm around!"

Even Florina was giggling, and Dorcas cracked a confused smile. Kent shook his head, smearing a hand down his face, but let it slide.

At that moment, five thugs jumped out of the bushes behind them. "We found 'em, Boss!"

"Oh, not them again!" Wil yelled. "Isn't enough enough already?"

"You won't get away that easy!" one of the bandits shouted back. "Everyone will think we've gone soft!"

"So what!" Lyn screamed at them. "No one cares! Get in our way, and you'll die!"

"Cheeky little brat… We'll kill you all, even your women!" But they thought better of attacking straight away with no back-up, and retreated back into the woods.

"Let's finish this!" Lyn cried to Ceniro. "They've attacked us three times. This time we'll leave none to carry on!"

"No survivors?" Ceniro asked. He could do it, just… was it all right?

"No survivors," Lyn said, and the haunted look in her eyes convinced him.

The road was heavily wooded in this area, and there was a pond to the southeast. "Wil, set up here and we'll bring you targets. Florina, I want you to lure those swordsmen back up here and take them out in conjunction with Wil. Kent, ride on her north flank and take out any archers you find. Sain, same on the south. Axemen are not so important yet; leave that to Lyn and Dorcas. Just keep Florina safe. Lyn, Dorcas, we're going hunting for the leader."

"I doubt Ganelon himself will take the field, even for a 'slight' as grievous as this," Dorcas said. "But we might get his second-in-command, Bug."

"'Bug'? Really?" Lyn asked.

"Afraid so."

"Whatever his name, I'm sure he can't stand up to both of you at the same time," Ceniro said. "Axemen on the right! Dorcas, charge, Lyn, flank them! I'll pick up the slack!" Three axemen were running at them. Dorcas charged back at them with a roar, and Lyn sprinted to get around them. Two axemen turned to follow her, and Ceniro ran forward, attempting to bonk one in the head with his staff, but the man heard him coming and swung around. Ceniro almost fell on his back in halting his forward momentum before he was decapitated. The man grinned and swung again, and Ceniro went skipping backwards, panting with exertion and fright.

And then he heard a woman's scream, but it wasn't Florina, and it definitely wasn't Lyn… Ceniro instinctively turned to look, almost missing the next stroke of the axe. He flung up his staff at the last moment with both hands, and the sturdy stick snapped in two and the tip of the axe grazed his knee. He cried out and fell to his hands and knees. The bandit laughed in triumph and raised his axe; Ceniro heard Lyn cry out his name…

Something whooshed over his head and the bandit's head burst into flame. He screamed and clawed at his face before falling over, dead.

Ceniro swallowed hard, almost forgetting that his knee was gushing blood. Who or what had done that?

He looked around and saw a young man, little more than a boy, with violet hair, an open book, and an upraised hand facing in his direction. His tunic was stained with fresh blood on the shoulder, but he seemed to be somehow unharmed. Behind him hovered a fidgeting young woman with candy-pink pigtails, a white robe, and a cleric's staff. "Ah, thank you!" Ceniro called, clutching his knee.

"No problem," said the boy, his face completely impassive.

"There is a problem!" cried the woman, and it was her voice Ceniro had heard screaming before. "These thugs thought we were with you! How are you going to get us out of this mess?"

Lyn ran over. "Oh, Ceniro, you're all right! Thank you, mage, for saving his life. I don't know what we'd have done without him."

"We have to keep pressing on," Ceniro said, gritting his teeth. "Speed is of the essence…"

"We have enough time to talk this over," Lyn said firmly. "Miss, are you a cleric? Could you please heal Ceniro?"

"Oh, all right," the woman said. "In my boundless generosity, I will aid you." She closed her eyes with a smug smile, twirled her staff, and a blue glow healed Ceniro's wound.

Mindful now of his manners, Ceniro clambered to his feet and bowed. "Thank you very much. We'll repay you as soon as we're done here. What are your names?"

"I'm Serra, a cleric of Ostia, and this is my escort, Erk. Say hello, Erk!"

"Hello," Erk said without enthusiasm. "Since they're attacking us anyway, shall we join forces and get this over with twice as quickly?"

"That sounds wonderful," Lyn said. "I'm Lyn, and this is our tactician, Ceniro. Just do as he suggests and he'll get us through this."

Ceniro had been thinking rapidly. "You keep moving up the road, I'm going to check on Wil and the others." But even as he said it, Florina landed beside them.

"W-we, um, killed the bandits you said to kill, um, and the rest are all farther back," she said to Ceniro, looking at her gloved hands. "Th-the others are coming."

"Great," Ceniro said. "Let's go! What kind of forces are we facing?"

"Over th-that hill, there's six axemen and four swordsmen. One of the axemen is really big…"

"That's probably the man I was telling you about," Dorcas said.

"All right. Here's how we'll do it…"


	5. Chapter 4: Fire in the Castle

Chapter 4: Fire in the Castle

.

The remaining bandits had huddled into a defensive formation around their leader, and made no move to attack Ceniro's group as they moved over the hill and into the thin forest around them. Ceniro was impressed with Florina's accuracy; she had counted the bandits exactly, even through the trees and from a great distance. But now he could see for himself, and that meant he could issue proper orders.

Not that he had to. "The plan stands. Go!"

Erk and Lyn ran forward together. When three bandits moved to attack them, an arrow from Wil put one down, and Lyn stepped neatly around one bandit, keeping them so only one could attack her at a time. Dorcas ran up behind to take on the one she was avoiding.

Erk waved his hand in arcane gestures, and before the bandits could scatter, a large fireball blasted into the middle of their group.

Ceniro didn't even have to order the cavalry in; that was their signal, and Kent and Sain came charging from opposite corners to smash through what was left of the bandits. Florina followed, crashing through the trees to make an attack with her slim lance and then shooting back up to safety again with a beating of white wings.

But the biggest bandit, the one Dorcas had called Bug, had not been knocked off his feet by the fireball as Ceniro had hoped, and he reached up and grabbed Kent around the waist, dragging him from the saddle even though Kent stuck the pommel of his sword in the bandit's face. The bandit's nose was bleeding heavily, but Kent was half-stunned from his fall and wasn't moving. Sain wheeled around as quick as he could, but the bandit had already punched his partner in the face twice.

"Lyn! Wil!" Ceniro yelled. He wasn't going to lose Kent to a simple bandit.

Lyn charged the bandit with a fierce yell. Wil's arrow struck the bandit in the shoulder, and he roared, jumping up to grab his axe and face Lyn. "You get away from him!" Lyn shouted, jumping over Kent to attack the brute head-on.

A clatter of hoof-beats echoed through the trees behind him, and Sain's lance pierced the bandit's skull. Ceniro winced and looked away.

"Serra, come quick!" Lyn cried urgently. Kent's face was already puffy and blotchy, covered in blood, and he was breathing very shallowly.

"Oh dear," Serra said. "This will take a bit more juice. Hold on a moment, mister knight!" She raised her staff, and a large blue glow enveloped Kent.

When it faded, there were a few faint bruises on his cheek and jaw, but he looked unharmed otherwise.

"He'll be all right," Serra said, panting a little. "That jerk really did a number on him! Broken cheekbone, broken jaw… It's lucky you had me around!"

"It is indeed," Ceniro said, trying to hide how upset he was that Kent had been hurt so badly. His plan almost hadn't been good enough. Next time, he would prepare for the enemy leader better. But right now, they had to thank the cleric. "Thank you so much for assisting us. We don't have a lot of money, but…"

"Oh, don't worry about it!" the energetic woman cried. "I looove to help people, isn't that right, Erk?"

Erk had been looking worried at Kent's condition, but at Serra's question, his face showed a flicker of annoyance before schooling carefully to blankness. "Sure. Whatever."

"He's the best bodyguard," Serra chirped, but Ceniro began to tune her out, because Sain and Lyn were lifting Kent into a sitting position, and Kent was groaning and beginning to move.

"Mm… ah… what happened?"

"I messed up," Ceniro said immediately. "I-I'm sorry. The bandit leader jumped you."

Kent blinked, then held up his hand in front of his face, then felt his face. "I feel fine, though. Slight bruising, but…"

"That's because of me," Serra said, rocking back on her heels as she bent forward to look into his face. "I healed you!"

Kent smiled. "Thank you, Lady Serra. I am in your debt."

She shrugged. "It was my pleasure. Anyway, I must continue on to Ostia. Come on, Erk. Ta!"

"One moment, oh sweet butterfly," Sain said, dropping Kent to hurry after her. "We are headed to Caelin canton, and Ostia is only a little farther on. Would it not be good sense to travel together to that point?"

Serra tilted her head, her pigtails bouncing, and considered with a finger on her chin. "Welllll, I suppose there's no guarantee we won't be attacked again! What do you think, Erk?"

"I think you're going to do whatever you want no matter what I think," Erk said. "But I like the idea, sir knight."

"You won't find a more charming group of companions anywhere!" Sain said, taking her hand in both of his. "Lovely Serra, do say you'll join us! Your grace, skill, and beauty would be the most wonderful addition to our group! And Master Erk's amazing power will blow away all our enemies!"

"S-Sain," Kent said, raising a hand in protest as Lyn and Wil helped him up. "Don't do this to everyone we meet…"

"You're very persuasive, Sir Sain," Serra said, batting her eyelashes. "Very well, we accept! I believe some introductions are in order?"

.

Several days later, they arrived in Araphen City, which Sain was eager to inform them was the second-largest city in Lycia after Ostia. The streets were filled with chattering people, and vendors and merchants had stalls everywhere, crammed between the wood-frame buildings. The roads were cobbled and surprisingly clean. Ahead, a large grey castle sat snugly on top of a hill at the centre of the town with brightly coloured flags flying – of Araphen and Lycia.

"Let's go to the castle," Kent said to Ceniro. "Arrangements will need to be made for the rest of our journey. I'll handle the talking, but I need you to advise me."

"Me? All right," Ceniro said, though he didn't really see why. Surely Kent knew what they needed better than the rest of them. He stared at Kent's outstretched hand. "What is it?"

"Why not ride with me?" Kent said with a small smile. "We'll get there faster than these walking people."

Ceniro chuckled nervously. "I've never ridden before."

"Never, truly? All the more reason to start now." Kent's smile grew as Ceniro took his hand and the knight pulled him up to sit behind him. "Hold on tight, now."

Ceniro's eyes grew wide. "Oh. Oh! This is fun!"

Kent chuckled. "I thought you might enjoy it. Most people do."

Kent's horse easily moved through the crowds and up towards the castle. The gate stood open, and they were stopped at the inner end by a guard who asked for their names and business.

"Kent of Caelin, knight and bodyguard to Lady Lyndis, granddaughter of Lord Hausen, Marquess Caelin," Kent said. "This is Ceniro of Santaruz, our tactician. We have come to request an audience with Marquess Araphen to ask for assistance on her journey to Caelin."

"This way," the guard said, professionally stonefaced.

Kent and Ceniro dismounted – Ceniro's legs were maybe a tiny bit wobbly from the excitement – and they were led into the castle hall to meet the marquess.

"So Madelyn's daughter is here," said the marquess, partly to them and partly to himself. He had not yet looked at them, and seemed more interested in the drink in his hand. "I suppose she is of age to inherit… And you say she needs assistance to reach Caelin?"

"Yes, my lord," Kent said, looking up from his bow. Ceniro wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do, so he had copied Kent. "We have reason to believe Lord Lundgren is making attempts on her life. An escort – or at least food and weapons – would go a long way to maker her journey safer."

The marquess finally looked at them. "It's a pity Madelyn is dead. I could have warned her that going to the plains with that man Hassar would only lead to a bad end. But I will aid her daughter. You shall have thirty men to escort you. Let her come to meet me."

Ceniro blinked. "S-so many…"

"You are surprised, tactician? Well, it's obvious why. You are not a fit person to lead these lofty forces. I will appoint a captain to go with you."

"Er, that's all right, my lord," Kent said. "Ceniro is quite competent, I assure you. He was trained by Lord Garlent."

"I'm sure it was out of pity," the marquess said dismissively. "Such a boy would never truly amount to anything."

"Ah, I will go get Lady Lyndis immediately, so she can thank you properly for your generosity," Kent said hastily, and they bowed and left.

Ceniro didn't dare say anything else, although he really wanted to know what sort of soldiers would be in the escort. He hoped it wouldn't be just thirty spearmen. That would be difficult to manage.

Kent was silent until they left the castle again. "So that's what you meant, before."

"About what?"

"About nobles… overlooking you for not being of their rank." Kent sighed. "Well, we must bear with it, I suppose. It will make things easier."

"It will. Bandits tend to be allergic to noble troops, and my best fighters won't have to miss sleep for guard duty," Ceniro said optimistically. "Even Lundgren will think twice about attacking us on the road. I just hope they listen to me… and that it's an interesting mix and not just thirty spearmen."

Kent glanced back at him and finally gave another small smile. "Can't have our tactician getting bored, right?"

Ceniro chuckled. "Exactly."

They turned the corner and saw Lyn's group ahead of them – and suddenly, the crowd screamed and ran for shelter. Ceniro saw Lyn stumble back and flinched as he saw the man with the knife right in front of her…

The man with the knife in his hand and an arrow in his back.

Ceniro looked around and saw another man on horseback, a man with dark green Sacaean hair and a bow, dressed in Araphen livery.

Kent urgently spurred his horse forward in the absence of crowds. "Lady Lyndis!" Ceniro slid off as Kent brought his horse to a stop close to Lyn, and hurried to her side. She was unharmed, but her eyes were wide.

"I'm all right," she said, a little shakily. "Ah! Wait!" The man with the bow had turned to ride off. "Thank you for saving my life."

The man shrugged. "I thought a woman of Sacae was in need. Was I mistaken?"

"No, I'm from Sacae," Lyn said. "I'm the daughter of Hassar of the Lorca."

The rider's eyes gleamed with surprise. "There were survivors?"

"A few. Now I'm going to Lycia to meet my mother's father."

Florina cried out. "Oh no! The castle… it's on fire!"

They all turned quickly to look. "So it is," Wil said. "That's probably an issue."

"Listen, that man who attacked me, I think he was an assassin of Lord Lundgren," Lyn said quickly to the rider. "I bet the castle is on fire because Lundgren doesn't want me to reach Caelin!"

"A good an explanation as any," said the rider.

"And if it's not the case, helping out can't hurt our standing with the marquess," Kent said. "Are there any more enemies about in the city?"

"I'll rally the guard," said the rider. "They will help track down any hostiles. I am the captain of the marquess's guard, but you may call me by my right name: Rath of the Kutolah."

"Well met, Rath of the Kutolah," Lyn said. "This is our tactician, Ceniro. You should probably coordinate with him."

Ceniro found himself suddenly meeting an intense dark-eyed gaze. "Um. Hello."

Rath turned away from him. "I'll be back shortly. Make your way towards the castle, but head for the militia barracks. If enemies have attacked the castle, the front gate will be too dangerous for a group the size of yours to attack."

"Thanks," Ceniro said, recovering his ability to talk. "This way! Dorcas, take point; Wil, back him up. Florina, don't fly here. It might be difficult to spot archers in the crowd."

Ceniro stayed close beside Lyn. He had been terrified when he thought she had been attacked, taken by surprise, and even though he couldn't do anything, certainly not without his staff, he wanted to be near her. Just in case. Even though common sense told him that she'd end up protecting him instead.

As an example, when a man in a red cloak leaned out of an alley and whispered "Psst" at them, Lyn jumped in front of him, her sword drawn. The red-cloaked man leaned back, looking affronted. "Hey, put that away. I'm not going to attack you like that loser back there. I'm on your side!"

"What do you mean, exactly?" Lyn asked warily, her sword not moving an inch.

"My name's Matthew, specialist in acquisitions of all kinds," said the man, bowing with a flourish of his cape. "Information, finance, possessions, you name it, I'll get it. And seeing as you're an adventurous looking group, I figure you'll need my assistance sooner or later!"

Lyn snorted. "I have no need for the services of a thief."

"Is that so?" said the man, smiling cockily. "Well, here's a freebie. I heard you're heading to the militia barracks to get into the castle, since the front gate will be too hard to get through. But have you considered the fact that the secret passage into the castle might be a tad hard to find, especially if your Sacaean guard friend is delayed in his return?"

"What- how did you-" Lyn sputtered.

Matthew grinned. "Hey, don't be mad, hire me!"

"You're hired," Ceniro said. "For the time being. We'll take all the help we can get. But Sain's going to be watching you. For all we know, you could be a plant of Lundgren's."

"Very wise, master tactician," said the thief cheerfully. "I don't mind, don't worry. You go ahead and watch me! You'll only be impressed!"

Lyn looked at Ceniro. "He seems odd."

"But if he's telling the truth, he could be very helpful," Ceniro said. "Matthew, can you fight at all?"

"Oh, yes, though I don't care for it much, to be perfectly frank. I'd much rather stay in one piece. But if you need a couple throats cut, I can do it in a pinch."

"Then let's go. I'd like to be at the barracks and ready by the time Rath returns."

They ran up the street, and armed figures in plain clothes sprang out of side streets to attack them. Ceniro yelled orders and re-positioned his people slightly, getting Erk out of danger of a swordsman and sending Florina against him instead. Dorcas was injured in the melee, and Serra ran to heal him.

Matthew froze. "Is that who I think it is?"

Serra somehow detected it. "I can feel it!" she said to Sain. "Someone's staring at me! Poor fellow, my beauty has rendered him speechless. Oh, I'm so cute it's almost criminal!" Sain laughed and saluted her before sending his horse forward on the attack again.

"Her name is Serra; she just joined us a couple days ago. She's returning to Ostia after a sabbatical in Etruria," Ceniro explained

"Aw, man? I hoped she wouldn't be in Lycia again any time soon…" Matthew turned to Ceniro suddenly and grabbed his cloak at the collar. "Promise me you won't let _her_ find the secret passage."

"Ah… I… promise." Ceniro looked completely taken aback. "Won't you find it first?"

"You never know," Matthew muttered darkly as he let go of Ceniro. "You neeever know with her."

Rath caught up to them as they came to the barracks. "The city guard is making a sweep."

"They'll deal with any enemies behind us?" Lyn said. "The civilians will be safe?"

"Yes."

"I've been told there's a secret passage into the castle and that it's a little tricky to find," Ceniro said. "Do you know how to find it?"

"Perhaps," Rath said laconically, and opened the door.


	6. Chapter 5: Blood of Pride

Chapter 5: Blood of Pride

.

With Rath's help, Lyn's group were in time to come to the assistance of the Araphen soldiers still fighting in Castle Araphen, although Ceniro had to tell Erk to limit his fire spells. He felt like they still had to make a good impression, after all.

It turned out that the unknown enemies assaulting the castle were indeed sent by Lord Lundgren to delay or kill Lyn before she could get any closer to Caelin. The man commanding the enemies admitted as much, once they cornered him, and Rath ordered him taken into custody rather than killed. Then, while the others helped the soldiers put out the fire and tend to the wounded, Lyn, Kent, Sain, and Rath went to see Marquess Araphen. Ceniro stayed behind. He had no wish to see the proud marquess again, and figured that the marquess would have no wish to see him.

Besides, he could use the time to look at the soldiers he was helping and guess which ones would be coming with them. And if Rath was the captain appointed to come with them… he could work with Rath. Maybe Ceniro hadn't made the best initial impression on Rath, but he had the feeling the Sacaean man had withheld judgement until Ceniro actually did something. He was far more reasonable than his marquess, at any rate.

It wasn't long before Lyn and her knights appeared again; Lyn looked furious, red in the face and stalking across the courtyard with quick, angry movements. "Let's go," she snapped to her group, and they left the Araphen soldiers to finish up and exited the castle. She didn't speak until they had left the city.

"What happened?" Ceniro asked anxiously. "Was he angry about the fighting?"

"That, and he said he had no wish to be involved in the 'inheritance dispute' between Lady Lyndis and Lord Lundgren," Kent said. "Although, I think it more likely that he was using that as an excuse…"

"He called me a mongrel," Lyn growled, her hands clenching at the thought. "He is the most conceited, pompous, arrogant, racist ass…"

"He certainly is!" Sain said. "I knew he was proud, but I did not think he was so ignorant as well! Especially not when his own captain is Sacaean. My lady, do not think of him any more. You are only more beautiful for being born of two different peoples."

Lyn sighed, letting her anger drain away, and glanced at Sain with the hint of a resigned smile. "And if a woman wants to hear a compliment that's more than skin-deep?"

Sain blinked, then lowered his gaze and smiled. "You are the heiress of two proud traditions, and your life must only be richer for it. No one who knows you could think any less of you – or any Sacaean – for not having been born in a castle."

"A lot of people born in castles are dummies anyway," Wil said. "A lot of them turn out like this marquess."

Lyn hesitated. "Is my grandfather like that?"

"He is not," Kent assured her. "I am told he respected your father greatly, and he is not so proud as to prejudice himself against those who are different from him." He and Sain shared a significant look.

"I'm glad," Lyn said, smiling. "We'll continue on, then, without our dear marquess's aid. With Ceniro beside us, we won't fall to Lundgren's- what's that?"

A horseman was hurrying after them. A moment later, Rath brought his horse to a halt beside them, now dressed in traditional Sacaean clothes. "Lyn."

"Rath! What brings you here?"

"I've resigned in service to Marquess Araphen. I would like to travel with you."

Lyn's face lit up. "Oh, that's great! We'd certainly be glad to have you."

Wil chuckled. "Looks like our proud marquess hit more nerves than he thought. Sucks to be him!"

.

They were still heading west, and in four days, came to the canton of Kathelet without incident.

"By my estimates, it should take us about a week and a half to get to Castle Caelin," Sain announced when they crossed the border. "And Salir…" He grinned dreamily.

Kent cleared his throat and Sain sprang to alertness. "And Lord Lundgren."

"Oh, don't be such a downer! He won't be difficult to deal with."

"Don't be so happy-go-lucky, Sain."

"Look," Lyn said to Florina. "The mountains are so far away now!" A wistful look came over her face. "I wonder if I'll ever see Sacae again…"

"I know you will!" Florina said. "Sacae is really beautiful. I'm sure you'll be able to go back often! Maybe you can take your grandfather!"

Lyn smiled. "I would like that."

Matthew had endeared himself successfully to the group, and spent quite a lot of time with Ceniro; Ceniro wasn't sure if Matthew was trying to find out more about him, or figure out how to make him less shy. "So you studied with Lord Garlent, hmm? I've heard of him; what do you think of him?"

"Um, I guess I would call him strict but fair," Ceniro said. "He had a very small class of apprentices, and he made sure we got more practical instruction than theoretical instruction… which was good for me, I think, because half of what I do is based on intuition. I can't do the calculations consciously like he does."

"So you're a savant then?"

"I wouldn't go that far," Ceniro said, blushing. "No, definitely not. I just have a… a knack for it."

"I've been listening to the others and they say that you care about everyone who fights for you, yeah? That's different from just having a knack for it."

"It's different from being a savant, too," Ceniro argued. "That's a different factor entirely, and it has its own shortcomings. It's why I should never be in charge of a castle like my classmates aspired to be."

"Right, so it's the mercenary life for you."

"I don't know," Ceniro said, but Matthew was the second person to have said so in the last month. "I don't know if I want to sign up with a bunch of mercenaries. I… honestly, I just want to wander around by myself."

"Oh?" Matthew said, his eyebrow raised. "Seems like you're perfectly content to travel with this bunch. And as for by yourself… I can think of one or two people you'd like to have along."

Ceniro blushed furiously. If Matthew was talking about who he thought he was talking about… "N-no, I'm fine on my own, really."

Matthew grinned. "Suit yourself, then. Oi! Look there!"

Ceniro looked, and saw a young boy running towards them from an inn by the road. The boy was in tears as he ran, and he stumbled up to Lyn with his hands clasped. "Oh, please, please, help me! My sister's been kidnapped by some awful men!"

"Oh no!" Lyn cried. "Which way did they go? We'll help you, don't worry!"

"Lady Lyndis," Kent began. "Lord Lundgren-"

"Yes, we have time for this," Lyn said determinedly. "I haven't let my guard down, don't worry. But if he's telling the truth, we must help him."

"I'm telling the truth, I swear!" the boy said. "Ninian, my sister, was taken away by some men in dark robes. She made me hide, even though I didn't want to! They're very strong and I-I can't rescue her by myself! They're really tough, but…"

"It's all right," Lyn said. "We're pretty tough ourselves! Just tell us where to go!"

"Thank you so much!" The boy bowed deeply. "I'm so grateful."

"I would like to help too," said a light voice, and a young man was hurrying up behind the boy; the man was dressed as a monk. "The innkeeper was… unhelpful and unpleasant, and I could not convince him, but if you are willing to help the boy, I will join you."

"All right," Lyn said. "My name is Lyn. What are your names?"

"My name is Lucius," said the monk, bowing politely. "I have some small command of light magic."

"My name is Nils!" chirped the boy, bowing again as well. He had pale green hair and crimson eyes, a combination Ceniro had never seen before. "I can… Um, well, I'm a bard, and…"

"What is it?" Lyn asked gently.

"I can play a magic song that will refresh your spirit!" Nils said with a rush. "It's not like healing or anything, but it will be beneficial, I promise!"

"Very well," Lyn said. "This is our tactician, Ceniro. He'll keep you safe and let you help! He's the best." Ceniro blushed.

"Which way to these horrible men?" Sain asked, swinging his lance. "Let us rescue your fair sister without delay!"

"I-I think they were going south-east," the boy said, pointing. "I'm not really sure, though; I didn't dare follow them by myself."

"I'll handle it," Matthew said. "I'll scout 'em out!"

"You and Florina head out," Ceniro said. "Florina, make a sweep from the south-east to the south; Matthew, you go south-east to east."

"Gotcha," Matthew said, and began to run off. In a few moments, he disappeared into the hilly fields. Florina sprang into the air and began to scan the countryside.

In only a short while, Matthew was back. "There's men in dark robes, all right, and they're coming this way! I suspect they want to capture Master Nils as well." He looked expectantly at Ceniro.

"We won't wait for Florina to get back," Ceniro said. "We'll set up an ambush. What sort of enemies were they?"

"Some mercenaries, some dark mages," Matthew said. "About six of each."

"So many dark mages," Erk said to himself.

"Don't worry," Ceniro said to him. "You'll be fighting the mercenaries. Lucius and the fastest of our fighters will be fighting the dark mages." Erk was an anima or elemental mage, and he could be badly hurt by dark magic. Actually, everyone could, which was why… "Lyn, Matthew, Kent, Lucius, head south. Circle around the mercenaries and attack the dark mages from behind. Keep on the move and don't ever get caught by their spells."

"How did you know the mercs were in front?" Matthew asked.

"That's the most logical place for them," Ceniro said. "The rest of us are going to tie down the mercenaries. Oh, here comes Florina! Get going, Lyn!"

"See you in a bit!" Lyn said with a wave, and followed Matthew into the fields south of the road.

Florina reported a castle to the south, apparently commanded by a man in dark robes. Ceniro positioned his remaining forces in a position that would be good enough to deal with six mercenaries, quickly filling Florina in on what was happening. They'd deal with the castle later.

"Oh, um, I should…" Florina dithered for a moment, clearly wanting to say something but not quite brave enough to get it out.

"You have an idea?" Ceniro asked.

"Um, well, you see, pegasus knights are resistant to magic, because they train in Ilia's snows, so…"

"Yes, of course, you should go join Lyn. Wait until the battle starts, however, and then you can strike while they're distracted."

"O-okay!" she said, and waited nervously beside him. The mercenaries were clearly visible on the road now, and ran towards them. All they could see was Ceniro, Wil, Dorcas, Erk, and Nils, and they shouted triumphantly as they hurried on ahead. Ceniro could see the group of dark mages behind them, and his heart began to speed up; what if they were in range of their spells? Dark mages were not common, and he wasn't quite sure of their capabilities.

"C'mere, you little brat!" called one of the mercenaries to Nils. "C'mere and we won't hurt you for running off!"

Nils shook his head. "N-no! Give Ninian back! If you do, my friends here won't kill you all!"

The mercenaries laughed. "Funny little kid, aren't you? Get them all! Don't hurt the boy!"

"Go!" Ceniro shouted, and the mercenaries charged them, dodging Erk's fireball, Wil's arrow… but not Rath's arrow, or Sain's charge. Florina whizzed by overhead, to where a commotion had broken out among the dark mages with a blast of white light from Lucius, and Lyn's flickering katana.

Battle had been joined.


	7. Chapter 6: Siblings Abroad

Chapter 6: Siblings Abroad

.

When the last dark mage had fallen to Lucius's light magic, Ceniro explained to the group that Florina had seen a fortress to the south that seemed to have more members of the same sinister group that had attacked Nils just now, and asked her to lead the way.

There were some high hills and a small river in their way, so they were not as quick to reach the fortress as Ceniro had hoped, but after a few minutes of quick marching, a small castle appeared on their right. It did not seem particularly heavily guarded, but still there were only twelve of them, counting Nils, Ceniro, and Serra, who had no combat abilities.

"I hope this is the right castle," Wil said as they approached. "It would be kind of silly to attack it only to find it belongs to someone completely unconnected."

"It's the right castle," Nils said a few moments later. "That's… that's the leader of the men after us. He must know where Ninian is! She must be in the castle!"

"We'll capture it, then," Ceniro said. "Florina, did you see any archers when you were scouting?"

"No. Um, no archers. I think there were some magic users, though."

"Fly past the front gate and get their attention, then. Let's draw them out a bit before we storm the front gate."

"Don't want to check for a back gate?" Matthew asked.

"I don't think a castle this size has one. Besides, I can brute-force this."

"Brute-force with only ten fighters against a fortress," Dorcas said in wonder. "You have confidence and skill."

Ceniro looked around, but the others seemed to agree. "O-okay. Well, anyway, you go, Florina, and I'll set up everyone here for your return."

"R-right!" She took off in a flurry of white wings, and Ceniro gave quick orders, pointing his people in the directions he wanted them.

He was almost enjoying himself, he realized. If this had been another mock battle like in his training, he would be enjoying himself. But… even though he knew he could do this without losing a single one of his highly-skilled friends, the stakes were higher, and people were going to die. The fact that the people who were going to die were all against him and trying to kill his friends didn't change the fact that they would be dead because of him. That alone removed his excitement, leaving him with only adrenaline and cold satisfaction.

Florina returned at high speed. "Eeeek!" Lightning bolts followed her, and Ceniro told Lucius to get back. While the monk was effective against the shamans, the dark mages, he was vulnerable to elemental magic.

"Don't panic!" Ceniro called to the pegasus knight through cupped hands. "Wheel around, now! Rath's got your back!" Rath had been sent forward, since he could retreat quickly if necessary, and he was now targeting the mage who had foolishly chased Florina. With him were only a couple swordsmen, and Erk and Wil were dispatched to deal with them. They were getting closer to the walls of the fortress, and Ceniro frowned at it, but the rest of the enemies inside seemed to be staying put. Probably wisely, but still… it would have made his job easier if they were stupider.

That was only his back-up plan, anyway. "Florina! How much weight can you take on?"

"Ehhh!?"

"Can you give Lyn, Dorcas, and Wil a lift up to the walls? Nils will help you out."

"I-I suppose…?"

"Do it! Erk, Lucius, blast those gates with as much magic as you have! Kent, Sain, stand by to charge; Rath, you're behind them. Serra, move up, I don't think anything will attack you. Matthew, stay with her, just in case. Everyone, your priority is that shaman leading these men! Stay alive and take him out!"

The members of his band sprang towards the fortress, ready to assault it on two fronts. Ceniro wished he could ride with Florina and see how many defenders there were, but it didn't matter. He trusted his people to fight well.

The gate splintered under Erk's rain of fireballs; while the splinters and fire would make it difficult for the horses of the knights, they would be past it too quickly to take much injury, and if Lucius widened the gap a bit more… Yes, that would do. "Kent! Sain! Rath!"

"Look out ahead!" Sain cried cheerfully as he set his lance in his elbow. Ceniro gestured to Serra, Matthew, and Nils, and they hurried in the wake of the cavalry.

An explosion rocked the castle, and Lyn gave a cry from where she was fighting on the wall; some stones fell from the walltop, almost hitting Ceniro. The tactician clambered over the gate into the yard of the castle and immediately turned to the walls, trusting Erk and Lucius to watch his back. "Lyn!"

Dorcas, Wil, and Florina were holding off a small force of swordsmen and lancemen, but Lyn, who had been fighting on the other side, was confronting the shaman leader. There wasn't a lot of space to move up on the wall, and Lyn was caught in a dark magic spell. She was struggling, trying to cut at the spell with the Mani Katti, but although the enchanted blade sliced away the spell, the spell was regenerating itself and she was growing weaker before his eyes.

"You thought you would rescue the boy's sister, did you?" said the shaman, tugging at the tendrils of his spell. "Were you not warned that anyone who gets close to the siblings is rewarded with death? Learn this lesson now and die in despair!"

"Lyn!" he yelled again and launched himself towards the stairs, forgetting everything else. The only goal in his mind was to get close to that shaman and punch him off the walls. He missed his staff.

Fortunately for him, his friends had clearer heads at the moment. A brilliant flash of light magic knocked the shaman off-balance, and Florina came swooping down, screaming bloody murder, and her lance caught the shaman in the chest, knocking him off the wall. Between the gaping wound in his chest and the crunch he made as he hit the courtyard, he wouldn't bother anyone again.

Ceniro dashed to Lyn's side as she collapsed on the wall. Pieces of wall were missing beside her, testimony to the force of the dark magic spell. "Lyn! Lyn! Are you- Are you all right? Serra! Quick!"

"I-I'm all right," Lyn said, although she accepted his arm to pull herself upright. He found that once he was supporting her, he didn't want to let her go, even when it was clear that she could stand by herself. "Is everyone else all right?"

Ceniro turned to scan the area quickly. "Looks like the others have it under control. Everyone! Break into pairs and search the castle!"

Serra was at their side. "Ooh, dark magic is nasty when used on a person. Hold still, please! You'll be right as rain in a few moments, thanks to my talented healing powers!" She twirled her staff, and Lyn blinked and stood up straighter as the blue glow left her.

"Your healing is truly marvelous, Serra," she said gratefully. "Thank you. Come on, Ceniro, let's search the castle. Where's Nils?"

"Nils!" Ceniro called. "Come search with Lyn and Serra and me."

.

They turned the entire castle upside down, but there was no trace of any girl there. Nils was close to tears. "They must have taken her somewhere else! Oh, where could she be!?"

"Excuse me," Kent said as they regrouped in the courtyard, "but we have a visitor." There were two knights with Pheraean heraldry just outside the gate, where Dorcas and Rath had removed the smouldering remains of the gate, and there…

"Are you looking for this girl here?" a man's voice rang out, and a young lord stepped through the gate, carrying a girl with seafoam-green hair and pale, frilly clothes. She almost looked like a fairy or other mythical being, fainted into the arms of a red-haired prince.

"Ninian!" Nils cried, rushing forward. "Ninian! Is she all right? Oh, Ninian!"

"She's unharmed," the lord assured Nils, kneeling beside him. "She's only fainted. You're her brother?"

"I am. Thank goodness she's all right," Nils said, and then Dorcas was there to cradle the fragile-looking figure and take her to a quiet corner of the yard to rest with her brother.

"Thank you so much," Lyn said to the lord. "We've been fighting for this boy, Nils, but you've done what we couldn't. Who are you?"

"My name is Eliwood of Pherae," said the lord, smiling at Lyn and Ceniro with kind blue eyes. Something about his calm, open demeanour seemed to make everything better, as if everything was going to be all right just because he was there. "She was in the company of some sinister-looking men, and she seemed upset. Was it all right to involve myself?"

"Yes, definitely," Lyn said. "You've saved her life. Ah, I'm Lyn of the Lorca – well, Lord Hausen's granddaughter."

"Marquess Caelin? Truly?" Eliwood said, with eager interest.

"Yes… it's a bit of a story…"

"I have time. But shall we sit down? Let's be comfortable."

"I like that idea," Lyn said, and they found chairs, and Lyn explained everything from the beginning, how she had met Ceniro and set out from her home, and met Kent and Sain and turned her course to Caelin, and finally how she suspected Lundgren of attempting to assassinate her twice.

"I know it's not easy to believe," she finished, but Eliwood nodded.

"I believe you. You have honest eyes, and you remind me of your grandfather. I also know that the people of Sacae tell no lies. Lyndis, I would like to ask, is there any way in which I may help you?"

"Thank you, but I'll deal with Lundgren on my own. This is my problem, and I don't want to get anyone else involved."

"I see. If you change your mind or think of anything, I'll be in Kathelet for a week or two, catching up with my good friend in Kathelet Town. I'm on your side!"

"Thank you, Eliwood," Lyn said, and bowed to him as they rose. "I'll remember your kindness, to Ninian, and to me."

"I hope she recovers soon. Tell her I offer her my best wishes."

.

Florina came to tell Lyn that Ninian was waking, so Lyn went to meet her. Ceniro would have followed, but Matthew nudged his elbow for his attention. "Hm? What is it?"

"Rushing to her rescue, eh?" Matthew asked with a cheeky grin. "Very daring of you, master tactician."

Ceniro flushed red. "She's my friend. Shouldn't I?"

Matthew only grinned more and winked, before walking away.

Ceniro shook his head, both at Matthew's implications and to try to clear his blush, before following Lyn over to Ninian.

Ninian was even more pale than Nils, but she had the same scarlet eyes. "Ah… you are Lady Lyn? Thank you so much for helping Nils and me."

"You're welcome, but the one who really saved you was Lord Eliwood of Pherae," Lyn said. "He already left, but he hopes you are well and offers you his best wishes."

Ninian smiled shyly. "I don't really remember much… there was a red-haired man and two others, fighting my captors… but I'm grateful, I truly am. Maybe someday I'll be able to thank him myself."

"I'm sure you will," Lyn said. "Now, would you two share your story with me? Why were those men hunting you?"

The siblings looked at each other. "Well," Ninian began.

"They want us for our power," Nils said.

"Your power?" Lyn asked, tilting her head to one side.

"We, um, we can sense danger," Ninian said. "I know it sounds vague, but between that and our abilities to invigorate our allies… We're just traveling minstrels, but these people want to use us…"

"I see," Lyn said. "I'm happy that you're safe for now. You're going to be all right in the future, right?"

"I think so," Ninian said, smiling sweetly.

"I know!" Nils cried. "Why not let us come with you?"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Lyn said. "I'm going to see my grandfather, but his brother wants to kill me to secure his silly inheritance. It's going to be very dangerous."

"That's all right!" Nils replied. "We won't be a hindrance! We can sense danger, remember? We'll repay at least part of our debt that way! We can't actually prevent the danger, but you're all amazing fighters, so you'll be fine."

"It's an idea," Lyn said. "You'd definitely be safe from the people chasing you, even if it makes Lundgren a threat to you. Let me confer with my escorts…"

Kent and Sain were brought over and explained to. "I think leaving them behind would cause my lady more anxiety than if we brought them along," Kent said when he understood what Lyn intended.

"And we can't ignore a lady and her brother in need!" Sain said. "I vote yes."

"I thought you might," Lyn said. "Welcome, Nils, Ninian. We'll take you all the way to Caelin."

"Thanks very much!" Nils said, smiling brightly. "It will be wonderful."

"There… is… one other thing," Ninian said hesitantly. "When those men grabbed me, they took… It's such a little thing, but they took my ring. Lord Eliwood didn't say anything about finding it, did he?"

"Not Ninis's Grace?" Nils cried. "But you need that!"

"What is it?" Lyn asked.

"It's magic," Ninian explained. "It helps me dance. And… it was a keepsake from our mother. I know it's probably gone forever and there's nothing that can be done… I shouldn't have brought it up."

"I see," Lyn said. "Where were you when Eliwood rescued you?"

"I'm not quite sure, but I should be able to find it."

"There's always the chance that one of them survived and escaped with it," Sain said. "But in that case, Matthew can find them. We'll get it back, fair Ninian, don't you worry!" Kent glanced at him, and Ceniro knew he was thinking of what Lundgren might do in their delay, but he said nothing.

"Truly?" Ninian asked. "I will be in your debt forever…"

"That's fine, right, Ceniro?" Lyn asked. "I'm so sorry, I keep forgetting to ask you what you think, and you're always right there, at my side…"

"It's fine," Ceniro said. "Whatever you need me to do." …Stupid, he told himself. Lyn liked people with opinions, not tongue-tied doormats. "I mean, even if there are survivors, we can handle them."

"Then it's settled," Lyn said with a smile.


	8. Chapter 7: The Black Shadow

Chapter 7: The Black Shadow

.

Kent slipped off his horse and pressed his back to the wall. Sain was on the other side of the entrance. Both knights had their swords in hand, and were only waiting for Ceniro's signal to slip inside to begin their attack.

Lyn's Legion had found where Eliwood had rescued Ninian; the bodies of her kidnappers were still lying in the road not far from the fortress they had captured. However, none of them had a ring with them. Matthew, Wil, and Florina had set off, tracking the two men whose tracks led away from the scene of battle.

The companions had been led to a low building in the middle of the forest with no windows and only one door. There was nothing for it but to attack directly. To make matters more uncomfortable, it had begun to rain.

Ceniro took a deep breath. "Let's go!"

The two knights ran in, followed closely by Lyn and Dorcas, and Rath and Wil close behind them. Almost immediately, they were confronted by men in black leather armour. "Who are you and what do you want!"

"Intruders, we have intruders!" yelled another.

"We've come for the girl's ring," Lyn said. "But I'm pretty sure you're not just going to hand it over!"

"Here you all are now," said a man, tall and strong, and wearing a red cloak over his armour. "I knew the ring would lead you to bring the children to me. Hand them over and I'll allow you to leave with your lives!"

Lyn huffed. "How cowardly do you think I am!? If you won't give it up, then the time for talking is over!"

"Lucius!" Ceniro cried, and the first chamber of the hideout erupted into a storm of chaos. Ceniro had a tough job just seeing everything, and keeping Ninian and Nils and Serra out of the way of the swords and arrows. Florina and Matthew were helping to guard them, but both Ninian and Nils looked terrified and horrified, and Ceniro couldn't blame them – they were far closer to the action than he wanted them to be. They were far closer to the action than he wanted to be himself, frankly, and the violence in the hall was of a level he hadn't seen before.

He had to keep it together. Not even for Ninian and Nils' sake, but for his own sake, he had to focus, to ignore the pain and death swirling around him and cold-bloodedly organize his forces in the best match-ups against their enemies.

Cold-blooded he couldn't do. He never could, even in practice, but he could ensure that his own side lived.

The commander on the other side, the one with the red cloak, wasn't a bad tactician himself. That was to say, he actually understood tactics, unlike almost every foe Ceniro had faced since he had met Lyn – the assassin strike force in Araphen aside.

But while Ceniro's friends were outnumbered, they were better than their enemies, and they were pressing them back into the corridors of the maze-like stronghold. And Ceniro thought he was probably better than the enemy commander.

Then Florina screamed, a hysterical, panicked scream, and Ceniro saw that the enemy had archers. He frowned in worry. He didn't have any people with very strong armour. They were near Kent and Sain, who had more armour than the rest of them; hopefully it would be enough. "Erk! Lyn! Get the archers now!"

And from his right, a bolt of lightning flashed down the corridor, and before he recognized its brightness, he lost a moment in time as every nerve in his body crackled with pain and energy. In the part of his head still thinking, he gave a useless curse. There had been a mage hiding down the hall, or more than one. Not good. "F-Flor…"

Someone was helping him up from the ground, even as his limbs gave a final uncontrollable spasm. His legs were shaking, and it didn't stop even as Serra's healing magic lit up around him. Lyn was the one helping him up. "Ceniro! Are you all right!?"

"I-I'm f-f-fine. F-f-florina, get the mage! Nils, help her!" Another bolt of lightning struck Lucius and the monk fell to the floor too, joined by Wil, and on the other side of the room, Sain had an arrow in his left arm, although the archers were now charred bodies on the floor. Sain would be all right. Ceniro ran to Lucius to check on him, and breathed a large sigh of relief. The monk was still alive, and Wil was twitching entirely too much to be dead.

"Hold positions," Ceniro called. It was no time to go advancing until they'd reconsolidated their current area. They needed to give Serra time to get to everyone.

"I am not unreasonable," called the enemy commander from the shadows farther back in the corridors. "Surrender and your lives will be spared."

"Not interested!" Lyn yelled, dodging another lightning bolt. Was Florina having trouble?

"Rath, back Florina up!" he ordered. "Lucius, are you feeling all right now? Take a moment if you need it." His legs were finally beginning to obey him again.

"We've got this!" Lyn reassured them. "Keep it up!"

The lightning bolts stopped, and Serra was catching up with the wounded, aided by Nils' flute. "Two groups! Kent, take Lyn, Rath, Erk, and Matthew, and head right! Sain, take Florina, Wil, Lucius, and Dorcas and head left! Serra, Ninian, follow Kent. Nils, you're with me!" It was time to press into the depths of the stronghold.

"Sure are a lot more enemies than we expected, huh?" Sain called back to him.

"They are remarkably well-organized," Ceniro replied. "Watch the door on your left!"

They were met with lance-men around the next bend, six of them, three ranks deep, and they planted their feet with a defiant roar, shaking their spearpoints at Sain. "Dorcas, take point! Wil, Lucius, back him up!"

He hated not being able to actually fight. If only he was stronger physically, and if he was brave enough to – to take a life to defend his friends, he could be helping out instead of watching as one axeman took on two lances at a time. The corridor made for a natural shooting gallery, but Wil's arrows were not as accurate as usual, and the archer hissed in frustration. Fortunately for Dorcas, Lucius's light magic was more accurate, and made his job easier.

Ceniro wondered how the other group was doing, but that was why he had put Kent and Lyn at the head of it and put Serra at the back of it. They would survive.

Once clear of the lancers, they took a right turn and found themselves facing Kent's group. The corridors had joined again and there was only one way forward.

"How'd it go, partner?" Sain greeted his friend cheerfully.

"All opposition was neutralized," Kent said. "No losses."

"We're almost at the end, right?" Serra asked. "This is tiring!"

"Not sure," Ceniro said. "Should be. Matthew, what's the next room look like?"

"Couple swordsmen. Beyond that…" Matthew leaned past the doorway for the briefest of moments. "I think that leader is there… and maybe a shaman as well."

"Not good," Ceniro said. "There's hardly any room to really dodge in here. Let's take on the swordsmen first!"

The swordsmen fought hard, cursing at them, but even as Ceniro's group pushed them back against the back wall, black spots appeared on the floor and the walls, and tendrils of black magic sprang from them and whipped around. Black spheres appeared in the air, and the group jumped for safety – which was distracting them from the swordsmen. "Erk, focus down the end of the swordsmen's line! Florina, Lyn, take Lucius to deal with that shaman! Rath, Wil, you too!" At least now they outnumbered the enemy… but that wasn't the point. Getting everyone out alive was the point.

As if the enemy commander wasn't going to let them get to the shaman without a fight. He sprang forward, charging at Lyn, using his greater weight to push her back. On her side, she let him, giving way before him before sliding to the side to counterattack from a new angle.

But Lyn was getting tired, and her dazzling speed was beginning to falter. Ceniro wanted to pull her back, but everyone else was tired as well, and the enemy was still fresh. "Come on, Lyn… you can do it."

Lyn gritted her teeth, revealing them in a soundless snarl, and attacked again – faster than he had seen her do before. The enemy was disarmed, his sword flying away and falling to the floor with a loud clang, and he fell to his knees, clutching his bleeding hand. Lyn drew back her sword, ready to strike, but refrained. "Give us the ring! And promise us you will never hunt these children again!"

All emotion drained from the enemy's face. "The punishment for failure… is death…" Before even Lyn could stop him, he raised a small bottle to his lips with his good hand and drank. Sain jumped forward to grab him, but even as he did so, the bottle fell and smashed on the floor, and he slumped forward.

Silence fell, the only sound being the heavy breathing of the companions and the awful noise of dripping things. Ceniro shivered and pulled his cloak a little closer around himself.

"I-I don't know… what to say," Lyn said.

"Check if he had the ring?" Matthew said. "Allow me." After a few moments, he pulled the ring from the man's pocket and handed it to Ninian. "Your ring, my dear young lady."

Ninian looked a bit stunned. "He really had it… You really found it!"

"Let's get outside," Lyn said. "It might be wet and cold out there, but better than being in here with all this death."

"That sounds like the best plan yet!" Serra said. "It's quite awful in here. Will anyone hold their cloak over my head? I don't want to get wet! It's not proper!"

"Those were no ordinary bandits, or even ordinary mercenaries," Kent said softly to Ceniro as they left. "They were far too well trained, and the leader knew how to fight. I fear they might be part of a larger group."

"I think you might be right," Ceniro said. "And he said 'the punishment for failure is death'. I wonder who he was, and who his boss is, and what they plan to do with Nils and Ninian. And if we can stop them."

"I think that your idea was a good one," Lyn said to Nils as they exited the building. "I promise you, you'll be safe as long as you're with us. Between my sword, Ceniro's direction, and the strength of our friends, everything will be fine."

"I don't know how to thank you," Ninian said, touching the ring on her finger. "You went through all that just to restore this to me… I will never forget your kindness and courage, never. All of you… Thank you."

"Anything for a maiden," Sain said, smiling cheerfully as he remounted his horse.

"We like helping people, basically," Wil said. "Ick, it's so wet out! I vote we don't go too much farther today."

.

Two days later, they were on the edge of Caelin territory, overlooking fertile fields of grain and other crops. A couple small villages dotted the hills nearby, and the weather had cleared up.

Lyn was looking backwards, as wasn't unusual for her. "Wow, Ceniro, the mountains are really far away now! We met on the other side of those…"

"It's been a while since then," Ceniro agreed, wishing he could say something more interesting. "I never thought my journey would take the direction it did… but I suppose it's double that for you, since it's your whole life."

She laughed and agreed. Seeing her laugh… her face lighting up like that, her blue eyes squeezing at the corners, her lips curving, hearing her laugh… Even if she was worrying about many other things, even if he was worrying about other things, he could forget it all for a moment in watching her laugh. And of course he had to laugh himself, mirroring her.

He had no idea why she had laughed, but he hoped he could do that again at some point.

"We're not a day's journey from the village of Coril," Sain announced happily. "I don't know if Kent will allow us to visit on this journey, but as soon as you've met your grandfather, you should definitely come and visit! I think you and the lovely Salir will get along famously. Right, Kent?"

"Maybe, maybe not," Kent said calmly. "In any case, it's still three days from Castle Caelin. But now I know the area better, and I know where we will be staying tonight."

"Ooh, is it the inn at Gramsend?" Sain asked. "Gramsend is not bad."

"Gramsend, or we might even make it to Trenton Ford…"

"Listen to them," Lyn said fondly to Ceniro. "They're both so excited."

"Aren't you excited, Lyn?" Florina asked. "Only three days until you meet your grandfather!"

"I suppose I am," Lyn said. "I… don't really want to think about it, even, it's… too exciting."

"I'm more worried about Lundren, anyway," Kent said, re-entering the conversation. "I feel he should have done something else by now… The closer we get to Castle Caelin, the more likely Lord Hausen will learn of his attempts on your life and shut him down."

"We have no real proof that will stand up in court of his assassination attempts, but… Lady Lyn, I believe your grandfather will trust your word if you were to tell him of his brother's misdeeds against you," Sain added.

"I'll think about it," Lyn said. "For now, let's keep going. I want to see all those villages you were talking about, all right?"

"Right you are!" Sain cried, grinning.

"Ah!" Ninian cried, as Lyn stepped out boldly in front of the others. "Lady Lyn, don't go another step!"

"What- what is it-" Lyn began.

Ceniro flung himself in front of her, having spotted the sharp tip of a ballista pointed in their direction from the south-east, and braced himself for impact.


	9. Chapter 8: Vortex of Strategy

Chapter 8: Vortex of Strategy

.

 _Whizzzzzzzzzthunk!_ The ballista bolt narrowly missed Ceniro and Lyn, embedding itself firmly into a tree on their right. Splinters of bark flew everywhere, and Erk ducked.

Ceniro gasped, very glad to be alive.

"My lady!" Kent exclaimed, riding forward to shield them both from further shots.

"Speak of the devil," Sain said, though his grey eyes were wide with alarm. "Deploying seige weapons… Lundgren's serious this time."

"We need to get off the road," Ceniro said. "Get off the road and behind that hill! Florina, don't fly; stay behind Sain. Kent, do you think there are any more ballistas, or does he have just the one?"

"I could not say for sure," Kent said, as they all moved east into the shelter of a large hill. "If he has followed our progress in the slightest, he knows our group has grown considerably from the three that he originally expected, and he knows Lady Lyn is still alive… I would expect considerable opposition, but as to whether there are more ballistas, I don't know."

"Fair enough," Ceniro said. "Hmm… Where's Matthew?"

But the 'acquisition expert' was nowhere to be seen.

"Very suspicious," Dorcas said calmly. "I'm sure he has a good explanation, but the timing is poor."

"In that case, Rath, can you scout ahead?" Ceniro asked. Really, he should have been using Rath as a scout before, but Matthew had always been competent and he thought of Rath more as an archer than a scout. Which was silly. He needed to unlimit his thinking more. "Wil, head to the top of this hill and make sure we're not ambushed by anything else while we prepare." He turned to Ninian and Nils. "Thank you for your warning. Y-you saved Lyn's life."

"Yes, thank you," Lyn said, bowing, and then she rounded on Ceniro. "And what do _you_ think you were doing? You'd just get us both killed, and what would be the point of that?"

Ceniro looked at his weather-worn boots and blushed furiously. "I-I… don't know. Ummmm… instinct…?"

She huffed, but then her gaze softened. "Don't worry about me. You're even squishier than I am, so you just take care of yourself, all right?"

"Um." Well, now he was embarrassed at being called 'squishy' in front of everyone they had met in the last month or so. "I just didn't want you to get hurt," he mumbled at the ground.

"I don't want you to get hurt either," she said gently, and he blushed some more.

"Anyway!" he said, shaking himself back to the present moment. "Kent, Sain, what's the landscape like in this area? Can we get behind that ballista from another angle, from behind that hill, perhaps, assuming there are no others?"

"We can, but it would take hours," Kent said.

"They've set it up in a good spot," Sain said, bending down to draw in the dirt. "See, the road heads into this narrow slot between the hills, and they're perfectly set up to cover anything that comes through there."

"Hmm," Ceniro said thoughtfully. "I don't think they'd dare fire on their own units. Let me think…"

In a minute, Rath appeared again in their midst; his approach through the fields had been completely silent and Ceniro jumped when he stood up beside them.

"There are no other ballistas, but there are a great many lancers, archers, and knights spread between here and a castle across a river," Rath reported. "I saw at least one mage, as well."

"All right," Ceniro said. "I have a plan. Wil! Come back down, we're ready to go."

To his surprise, it wasn't so hard to capture the ballista. Rath and Sain were sent forward with Nils' assistance to keep it busy while Wil and Dorcas kept their heads down and got close to it. It was not heavily guarded by any means, and after a short scuffle, Wil was the proud wielder of a weapon heavier than he was, at least until he ran out of bolts. Once the ballista was no longer a threat, Lyn and the rest rushed forward, and Florina could take to the air again, still wary of the other archers still present.

"I know some of these men," Kent said when he rode next to Ceniro at one point. "They're all Caelin soldiers."

"I'm sorry," Ceniro said. "We don't have much choice, though. They're attacking us."

"It won't be a problem," Kent said, but his face was stiff and Ceniro knew he was only hiding his feelings.

"Clearly they have overcome their own feelings regarding us," Sain said, also drawing near. "That's all I'm worried about!" He smiled, but it was a smile with a hard edge. Ceniro watched them both ride away. They were upset, no doubt about it. But there wasn't anything he could do about it, not this time.

.

The enemies faded before them, and Ceniro grew suspicious. "Lyn, I'm pretty sure this is a trap of some kind."

"Nothing we can do about that," Lyn said. "You can get us out of it. Let's spring it."

"They're withdrawing to the castle," Ceniro said. "I'd like to thin out their numbers a bit more before they can draw us in and surround us. Wil! Don't worry about the mage; he's too small a target. Get the lance-men! Erk, Lucius, Kent, Rath, take out those archers and give Florina a clear shot at that mage! Dorcas, Sain, Lyn, hold those knights off until the mage is eliminated!"

After another half an hour of feinting and skirmishing, Ceniro let the group approach the castle, but not closer than bowshot. The gates were open, and a bulky, strong knight led a small contingent of lancers and swordsmen. "So you took the ballista, did you? No mean feat for a girl and some foolish knights and mercenaries."

"What are you talking about?" Ceniro demanded, his professional pride injured. "You left that ballista sitting in the middle of the field with a quarter of the defense it should have had! What's wrong with you!?"

Lyn coughed a laugh as the enemy knight puffed himself up and began to bluster. "I just wanted you to feel like you were doing well! After all, you'll surrender immediately when you see…" He gestured, and the soldiers drew apart to reveal two soldiers holding two women captive.

Kent gasped, but the younger woman grinned. "We've got to stop meeting like this," she called. "Just like old times, isn't it? But with soldiers instead of proper bandits."

"Just like old times," Sain agreed with a grin of his own. "Only this time, I rustled up a whole army to save you, my darling!" But Ceniro could see that his smile was brittle around the eyes, and the girl's own smile was fearful. Kent looked miserable, and the older woman of the pair didn't look much better.

"There will be no saving here," the enemy knight said. "Either the lot of you surrender now, or we'll do terrible things to your women!"

Lyn looked at Ceniro. He could save them without surrendering, but he'd need to call orders. Could they do it before something happened to the hostages? Undoubtedly, surrendering would mean death, possibly immediate death. But there was no way he was risking Sain's girlfriend and Kent's… mother? He gave a tiny shake of his head and looked to Erk and Lucius.

"I'm not surrendering to the likes of you!" Lyn cried, and Ceniro knew that she trusted him completely.

Erk and Lucius gave him a little nod.

"Then you will regret-" began the knight.

"Now!" Ceniro yelled, and light and fire exploded among the soldiers. "Florina, rescue! Kent, Sain, cover!" Florina swooped down on the soldiers holding the women, dropping neatly beside the castle wall. One solder was stabbed with her lance before he could look up; the other was knocked down by her pegasus. Kent and Sain were off in a thunder of hoofbeats, scattering soldiers. But the enemy lances… "Rath, Wil, fire when you have targets! Everyone else, follow Kent and Sain! Get the lancers!"

The hostages had their hands tied behind them, and Florina was having trouble getting them onto her pegasus. Enemies were rushing at her, and Ceniro could see she was about to panic. "Florina-"

"Florina, use your dagger, cut them free!" Lyn called. "One at a time! You've got lots of time. I'll be right with you!"

That was what Florina needed, to do what needed to be done. With Kent's mother now in front of her and Salir clinging to her in behind, she cried to her pegasus, who lifted somewhat heavily into the air just as the soldiers caught up to her.

"Back to me!" Ceniro told her. "That's it! Serra, Kent needs your help! Nils, help Dorcas!"

.

Ten minutes later, the enemy had all retreated and the enemy knight lay dead, thanks to Lyn and Rath. Kent and Sain jumped from their horses and ran to greet the former hostages; Sain with a spinning embrace and passionate kiss for his fiancée, and Kent with a more reserved bow and hug for his mother.

Lyn joined Ceniro, smiling. "I'm glad. There were several minutes there where I was sure we were on the edge of disaster."

"It was a close one," Ceniro said, deciding not to tell her that they had been on the edge of disaster and it was only half his directions and their fighting skills that they were still alive and relatively uninjured, and half blind luck. He really shouldn't thank her for trusting him when he was so unreliable. "Everyone was brilliant."

Kent came forward, leading his mother. "Lady Lyndis, may I present my mother, Anastasia?"

"It's an honour to meet you," Lyn said, smiling, and clasping the woman's hand. "Kent has been an incredible support ever since I met him and Sain in Sacae."

Kent's mother shared his red hair, but it was greying now, and she bowed her head before Lyn, quite overcome. "Lady Lyndis, you are as gracious and kind as your mother. I am glad my son has been of use to you. I'm so proud of him." She looked up at him fondly, and he smiled, embarrassed.

"Quite right!" Lyn said. "You have much to be proud of. Ah, Sain, finally decided to join us, did you?"

"But of course," Sain said. "How could I not let the two most beautiful women of my acquaintance meet each other? Lady Lyn, this is my lovely fiancée Salir. Salir darling, this is Lady Lyn."

"Very pleased to meet you," Salir said, smiling brightly and with a bob of a curtsey. "Heard a lot about you. Well, it was mostly from the idiot guards in that castle, but still. Apparently Lord Lundgren doesn't like you, which is endorsement enough in my book!"

Lyn chuckled. "I'm pleased to meet you as well. I've heard much about you, from a _slightly_ more reliable source."

"That's me," Sain said, and Kent shook his head in exasperation.

"Oi!" Wil yelled. "Look who's here!"

Matthew had appeared in their midst. "Ah, you're still alive. Good, good!"

"Where did you go?" Lyn demanded. "Did you set this up?" Her eyes were flashing and her hand was on her sword.

"I swear upon my life, I did not intend to vanish on the verge of battle," Matthew protested, holding out his hands. "I chose that moment to leave because I thought the road ahead might be clear for a while, actually! Clearly, I was wrong. And I apologize."

"We could have used you," she told him reproachfully, and Matthew actually did look properly apologetic. "So what were you doing that was so important that you had to sneak away without telling anyone?"

"I took the time to visit a village nearby, as I've been doing on occasion since I joined you, if you didn't notice. I have a much better picture of what is going on, so if you would like to gather the relevent decision-making parties, I can tell all of you at once."

Lyn looked around. "We're all here. Sain! Pay attention, please."

"Yes, my lady!" Sain stopped whispering to Salir and jumped to attention.

Matthew's face turned grim. "Word is that Marquess Caelin is very unwell. Apparently he's been bedridden for months."

"He wasn't when we left," Sain objected. "What sort of illness is it?"

"Poison," Salir said immediately, not smiling for the first time Ceniro had seen her.

"Precisely," Matthew said. "No one knows for sure, of course, but it's what everyone thinks. And guess who moved into Castle Caelin and took control of it as if it were his own shortly after?"

"Let me guess," Lyn said sarcastically. "Would it be, say, the marquess's dear younger brother?"

"That would be the person with the name everyone's too afraid to say, indeed," Matthew said, nodding. "And any nobles or retainers who might have objected have mysteriously disappeared. Dead, exiled, or imprisoned, no one can say – although we might get more news the closer we get to the castle. But that's not the worst news."

"What's the worst news?" Lyn asked. "What could be worse than learning that my grandfather is deathly ill just when I've found out he exists?"

"Apparently, an imposter's appeared, claiming to be the marquess's granddaughter and accompanied by a pair of traitorous knights and a band of cutthroat mercenaries. At least, if you believe the rumours."

Lyn stared. "He- he dares claim I'm an imposter?" They were all staring.

"Oh no, oh no," Kent's mother murmured, putting her hands to her head. "How could they say that? My son is the most honourable of all the knights…"

Kent turned to Lyn. "My lady, do you perhaps have anything that might prove your lineage? Anything of your mother's, perhaps?"

Lyn shook her head slowly, a horrified look appearing in her eyes. "No. My mother brought little to Sacae, and everything was lost the night the Taliver attacked… I have nothing. It's my word against his, isn't it?"

"But my lady, you look like your mother," Sain protested. "All they have to do is look at you-"

"They'd say we found a look-alike," Kent said heavily.

"And after Marquess Araphen's cordial response to the colour of my hair, it probably wouldn't help at all," Lyn said angrily. "I… I don't know what to do. I just want to see my grandfather." She turned to Ceniro. "What do you advise?"

"Me? Um… I… I don't know either." Ceniro thought frantically, but he knew almost nothing about the political games the nobles played. When he had done his training, he had done his best to stay away from all that nonsense. Now he regretted not paying attention.

"If you want my opinion," Matthew said slowly, "you want to make sure that the surrounding cantons don't help Lundgren. And you know someone who can help with that."

Lyn blinked hopefully. "Eliwood! Eliwood of Pherae! If we return to Kathelet, we can ask him for help."

"But do we want to ask him for help?" Wil asked. "I know he offered, and all…"

"It would be best," Lyn said. "I'm not so proud I'll refuse help from someone who offered it so selflessly, and… if Lundgren got more soldiers, he could make it far more difficult than it has to be to reach my grandfather in time. Let's go to Kathelet with all speed."

"How long did he say he was going to be there?" asked Sain. "A week or two, wasn't it? Let's hurry and make sure we catch him before he leaves!"

Lyn nodded and turned to Kent. "Let's not stay in any villages while we're in Caelin. Lundgren will surely track us through them, and I wouldn't want any reprisals to come to the people here."

"My lady is too selfless," Kent said. "It's a good idea, though. And if I might ask a favour… I don't want my mother to go home alone, especially not when Lundgren might try to use her again. Could she…"

"She can come with us," Lyn said immediately.

"Is that all right?" Anastasia asked anxiously, pressing her hands to her mouth. "I-I don't want to be in the way…" She glanced at the fallen soldiers with an unhappy, nauseated look.

"We'll take care of you," Lyn said firmly. "You and Salir. We have lots of people in our group who can't fight. Ceniro, Serra, Nils, Ninian. Just follow Ceniro's directions and you'll be fine."

Kent's mother bowed low. "I owe you a great debt, my lady."

"It's fine," Lyn said.

"So I get to come along?" Salir said, her eyes sparkling. "With so many cute guys? And I'll get to see my beloved Sain in action?"

"Absolutely you will," Sain said, putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Right, then, back to Kathelet!" Lyn said, pointing north.


	10. Chapter 9: A Grim Reunion

Author's Note: Salir has chosen a theme song (Astebreed OST: Familia), run for your lives.

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Chapter 9: A Grim Reunion

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The next day dawned grey and rainy as they broke camp in a hollow of the hills. Ceniro packed up his bedroll and helped Wil and Matthew disassemble the small tent they had shared since Araphen. Digging a hunk of less-than-fresh bread out of his small pack, he began to munch on it.

"So you're Ceniro the tactician, hmm?" Salir said, popping up beside Ceniro; he yelped and almost dropped his breakfast. "You're cute! You have a great voice, did you know that? Especially when you're being all commanding!" Her eyes were bright despite the earliness of the hour, and her smile was wide despite the rainy weather.

"Ah- um- ah-"

She giggled. "And bashful, too! Ooh, who's the archer with the big smile? I like him. My darling Sain has been introducing me to everyone, but I haven't met everyone yet! Ooh! That monk with the long blond hair, Lucius, I think his name was, is very beautiful. I bet he gets all the girls!" She giggled again.

"Er, Salir, I, um…"

She winked at him. "I'm just messing with you. Oops, Serra's coming this way! She doesn't like me, I think. Something about 'there can only be one cute girl in camp'? I gotta run, catch you later!"

After breakfast, they journeyed rather slowly through the rain back in a northeasterly direction. Lyn, Kent, Florina, and Rath had gone on ahead; Sain had given Lyn his horse to give them even more speed. Ceniro was not expecting much trouble; Lundgren might think he had driven them away. The tale Salir and Anastasia told of being abducted from their very homes by the marquess's soldiers was chilling, however, as was the idea of their being used as hostages. Anastasia worried for her husband, wondering if he was all right too. Salir was less worried for her parents, since they were less directly connected to Sain. Sain's parents… they didn't know.

Sooner than they had expected, they met Lyn and her three companions returning two days later, when they had almost reached Kathelet Town. She was in high spirits, and gathered them all to tell her news.

"Good news," she said. "Eliwood has sent messengers to the surrounding cantons, but he assured me they would almost certainly remain neutral in our struggle with Lundgren. We went to Marquess Kathelet directly, of course, and she was reserved but polite. I don't know if it was Eliwood's influence or not, but the fact remains that Lundgren will not have reinforcements from anyone – unless he asked for them weeks ago."

"Of course, Lord Eliwood can't aid us himself, to be fair by this arrangement," Kent said.

"But he's certainly done more than enough, and that should be a great weight from Ceniro's mind," Lyn said, smiling at him. "We've limited the size of the engagements from here to Castle Caelin. It would be nice to wait for answers, but it would take a couple weeks, and I need to try to save my grandfather from his poisoning if possible…"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sain cried. "Let's head back immediately! I swear upon my sword you shall see your grandfather as fast as we can march there!"

"Thanks for the horse," she said. "You'd better take her back, now, so you can impress your fiancée by charging into battle and all that."

"It's like you read my mind, Lady Lyn!" Sain said, grinning.

.

They headed back south as quickly as they could. Ceniro was afraid Lundgren would reinforce the road they had taken before, so they chose a different road, a slightly longer one, but a much less defended one.

They had about regained their previous progress and were taking an afternoon's break to rest the horses. Lyn had wandered off with Florina, looking ahead this time instead of back, and the wind tugged at her long green hair and the tails of her skirt. Ceniro watched her, fascinated by the way the silken strands carried in the wind.

Matthew wandered up beside him, and Ceniro blinked, distracted – he was juggling five apples at once. It was almost – _almost_ – more interesting than Lyn's hair. "She's certainly beautiful," Matthew said casually.

"Yes, she is," Ceniro said, managing not to stutter. It was a common opinion Lyn was beautiful, wasn't it? "And so strong."

"And brave, and spunky, and generous, and determined, and and and," Matthew said, affecting a dreamy sigh even as his apples flew through the air in rhythmic patterns. Ceniro blinked at him, blushing hard. "Oh, don't be so bashful, young man! It's quite clear to all of us how you feel."

Ceniro's eyes opened wide. "All of you?"

"Yep," Wil said, leaning on Ceniro's shoulder on the other side. "At least me and Sain and Matthew."

"And Kent," Sain put in, coming up with Kent. "We've discussed it a couple times."

"What are you talking about?" Kent asked, looking from Matthew to Ceniro's red face and Sain's face-splitting grin.

Ceniro put his face in his hands. "Nooo, why are you telling me these things?"

Matthew caught one apple in his teeth, tossed the other four to the other four men, and reached up to take a proper bite out of his apple. "Because listen, I'm pretty sure she likes you back."

Ceniro had almost failed to catch his apple, and at Matthew's statement, almost dropped it again. "Oh, come on."

"I do not think any of us except Florina would be able to say for certain, but I do get the sense that she enjoys your company," Kent said calmly.

"Wait, why are we all watching her?" Wil asked suddenly. "Totally not weird at all, not when they turn around…"

"And Wil over here likes Florina, so he's got a good view right now too," Sain said, ruffling the archer's hair, and it was Wil's turn to blush and grin.

"Well that's as obvious as the sun rising in summer," Matthew said. "The difference is, Wil can take care of his own business, I'm sure. Ceniro needs help."

"No I don't!" Ceniro protested. "I need you to not talk about it so loud, she's going to find out!"

"Oh, don't worry, she's fine," Sain said. "Besides, wouldn't that be a good thing? Women like to know they're admired. Now, as the only one among you who has a girlfriend, let me instruct you in the fine art of wooing said women-"

"Sain, shut up," Kent said. "Ceniro, please don't worry about it. We know you love her, it's true. It's easy to see why. But I suspect the reason Matthew inadvertently assembled us was to let you know that you have our support."

"And to encourage you," Matthew put in, tossing away his apple core. "I mean, are you going to even say anything before she fights Lundgren?"

"Ten gold says he doesn't," Wil said cheerfully.

Matthew shook his head. "Too easy." He grew a little more serious. "There is another thing to consider, which is… You've done brilliantly to this point, but things change when you get involved with someone – someone who puts themself in danger. Especially when you can't do anything directly to help. How is that going to work out for you? If there was no other way out, could you send her out to fight to the death?"

"So you're saying he _shouldn't_ ask her before she fights Lundgren?" Wil asked under his breath.

Ceniro glanced up at Lyn's distant figure again. Now she was laughing at something Florina had said, her shoulders shaking, and Serra was coming to join them. "All of you… all of you are my friends. I don't want to see any of you dead." He paused. "Before my journey took this turn, I hadn't really considered what it meant to have friends to put themselves in danger for me, to literally fight for me since I can't defend myself. In my training, it was just… assumed that such an idea wouldn't really be an issue. I've grown and learned so much since then, and I'm much more confident about going into real battle, but the fear of losing someone hasn't grown any less."

He glanced up at Matthew, then turned to look at the others. "Please believe me when I say that I'll fight my hardest to stay out of a situation where any of you are in danger of dying. I already have enough awful visions without letting any of them become reality." Another brief image of everyone lying still and blood-soaked on an overcast battlefield rose in front of his eyes, and he shook it away.

"I trust you," Sain said. "You've thought about this, clearly."

"Well, it's good to know you don't consider me expendable," Matthew said, his question apparently answered, and sauntered away. Sain left after a moment as well, whistling.

Ceniro considered his as-yet uneaten apple, and smiled to himself. Here he was, surrounded by these strong and very competent men, and women too, of course, but… they accepted him. They treated him as an equal, despite his background. It was a feeling he hadn't had often before, and never so universally as now.

"What is it?" Kent asked quietly.

"I've never been in such a welcoming group before," Ceniro said. "There's always several people who take an immediate dislike to me for no reason. Here… everyone is genuinely friendly."

Kent smiled. "It's true. You must have guessed from seeing my mother, but… I am not high-born either. My father is a farmer. Sain, however, is the son of a knight who is the son of a knight… and he is older than me… but he has never treated me as inferior. And Marquess Caelin is just the same. And Lady Lyndis is the same."

"And I imagine that anyone wanting to join our group would have to be the same, or they wouldn't want to," Wil said. "You were at the Academy in Ostia, right? Any noble's brat can join that. I can see how your life would be difficult there. You should stick with us!"

"I should," Ceniro said, smiling. "But I'm afraid my feet would wander off again whether I want to or not, sooner or later. But now, I have a question!"

"Shoot," Wil said.

"More for Kent," Ceniro said. "I was able to convince you not to call me by any honorifics, but you still call Lyn by them even though she also asked you not to. Even if you're too understanding to scold anyone else for not doing so, why is that?"

"That is… not because I respect either you or her any less than the other," Kent said slowly. "But it is my duty to call her by her title, and it is my pleasure to follow my duty. Not because others expect me to, but because I want to fulfil my duty in all things. If she were not my liege-lady, then I could gladly call her by her short name as you do. You can ask Sain, he feels similarly." He smiled a little. "You should probably be glad that you are not related to a lord, or else I would not give you a choice either, my friend."

Ceniro chuckled. "I am glad for that."

"Hey!" Lyn had finally turned and seen them, and was coming over. "Shall we get going again?"

"I think that sounds like an excellent plan, Lady Lyndis," Kent said, with a half-bow, and went to round up Nils and Salir, who were running around like mad people.

.

The rest of the day passed fairly quietly, or as quiet as it could be with both Serra and Salir in the same company. The next day, however, dawned cold and damp again, and the fog that shrouded everything in grey obscurity did not lift all day.

"This is General Eagler's estate," Sain told them in the morning, when the mist should have passed. "It's often like this…"

"Hang on," Matthew said. "I hear something… Someone heavily armoured is coming towards us!" A few moments later, Ceniro heard it too – heavy, clanking footsteps on the road ahead.

"Erk, Lucius, be ready," Ceniro said softly. Sound carried in the fog, and he knew that whoever was approaching had heard their conversation. But the person seemed to be alone, which was good.

A huge, hulking figure appeared ominously out of the fog ahead of them. It was clad in heavy grey armour with the helmet down. "Where is the girl who calls herself Lady Madelyn's daughter?"

"Lord Wallace!" Sain blurted out; both knights were tense in the shoulders. "I thought you were retired to a farm somewhere! Don't tell me you're…"

"Ah, Sain, Kent! Good to see you boys again. Yes, I was, for a while, but I got a little bored, you know. Have you kept up your training?"

"Yes, sir!" Kent said, with a response so quick Ceniro guessed it had been drilled into him ferociously over a great deal of time. "Every day, sir!"

"Is that right? Well, no beating around the bush. Where's the girl you're supposed to be escorting?"

"What do you want with her?" Kent demanded, frowning. "She is truly Lady Madelyn's daughter. You do not believe us oathbreakers? If you intend any harm against her, we shall stand against you!"

"Don't make me laugh," said the giant. "I could beat you with both hands tied behind my back. I simply want to ascertain for myself her identity. But if I don't like what I see, I will end her. I owe Lady Madelyn that much."

"Enough," Lyn said, shouldering her way between Kent and Sain's horses. "I'm right here. But if you attack any of us, you will regret it!"

The giant removed his helmet, revealing a shiny bald head and a pair of twinkling eyes, though they were serious as they observed Lyn. "Such beautiful eyes…"

"I beg your pardon?" Lyn said, still glaring angrily at him.

"I've been a knight for thirty years, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that no one with eyes as bright and clear as yours can be a deceiver." The knight knelt on one knee before her. "Lady Lyndis, if you'll accept this old fool of a knight, I'd like to join your little company of mercenaries."

Lyn's mouth fell open. "I'm sorry, what was your name?"

"My name is Wallace, my lady. Lundgren asked me to take you on, but I'm afraid he miscalculated there. This old bull's loyalty is to Caelin, not to any usurper!"

Sain's face had lit up. "Will you really? That is fantastic news!"

"Since Kent and Sain vouch for you, I accept," Lyn said. "Did you know my mother?"

Wallace rose and nodded. "I did indeed. A generous, graceful woman, and your father was a true and honourable man. I can see both of them in you, and I am glad. Lord Hausen will be truly overjoyed to meet you."

Lyn smiled. "Thank you. That… that makes me happy."

"What are we waiting for, then?" Wallace bellowed, and Erk and Nils jumped back. "Let's march!"

"Er, General, if you could keep your voice down a tad," Sain said. "We _are_ being hunted here! And if you found us, others can find us too!"

"Let them come!" Wallace said jovially. "I'll take them all on myself! I trained half of them!" He sobered slightly. "Which is regrettable. But a knight must sometimes choose between his heart and his orders."

"Is General Eagler against us?" Kent asked. "Will his lands be barred against us?"

"Probably," Wallace said. "There's only one way to find out!"

"Before we go on," Lyn said, "we should introduce our tactician to you."

"A tactician! Very wise of you. Hmm, but there are so many shrimps here! Which one is it, my lady?"

"Here he is," Lyn said. "Ceniro of Santaruz. He may not be a fighter, but he has a brilliant mind and has led us safely this far."

Ceniro swallowed, confronted suddenly by two metres and several hundred pounds of man and steel staring intently at him.

"Ceniro of Santaruz, hmm? I'll have to see what you can do. Go ahead and order me around as you like!" He laughed uproariously.

"He hasn't changed at all," Kent said, almost laughing to himself.

"Let's continue, then," Lyn said. "We'll introduce everyone else to you as we march."

A few minutes later, Rath appeared beside Ceniro. "Bandits are nearby."

"You're sure?" Ceniro said, not doubting Rath, just wanting to make sure it wasn't soldiers.

Rath nodded. "They look considerably less-well equipped than the soldiers we faced before. There is a large group to the north, among the hills, about twenty-five; mostly axemen and archers."

"Could be an issue," Ceniro mumbled. "They might not see well enough to shoot well, but we won't necessarily see them in time to dodge either, and we have so many non-combatants. How long until they're upon us?"

"About five minutes."

"Right. I think Lord Wallace will get his chance to shine right away…"

For some reason, Lyn insisted on staying close to Ceniro when he wasn't directing her to attack axemen. Not that he minded her being near him, although he was still in danger of getting distracted in watching her fight. She was so fluid, dancing a dance without rhythm, her hair swirling after her, her blue eyes flashing with determination.

"I'm glad this is almost over," he admitted to her when there was a lull in the fighting.

"Oh? Too much excitement for you?" she teased him.

"A little bit, yes. I'd like to know that you're not being hunted by someone who is supposed to be your own family…"

"Yes, that part is annoying, although I'm more worried about my grandfather's safety than my own. But you've seen how much stronger we've all gotten since met in Sacae, right? I'm so glad I came with you on your journey."

"I-I'm glad we met too," he stammered. "And we'll get through the last obstacles t-together."

"With my sword and your orders, there's nothing that can stand before us!" Lyn said, smiling, and he reflexively smiled back, which made her smile more.

.

The noise of the fight with the highwaymen had carried; there was no getting around it. Still, Ceniro was rather disappointed when the next bend in the road brought the sight of a barricade across the road, with about forty soldiers bearing every sort of weapon, though mostly lances, and at their head, a dignified-looking older knight in ornate armour.

"General Eagler!" Wallace exclaimed.

"General!" Sain cried.

"And here you are," the knight said calmly. "I was wondering when you would arrive. I am sorry it has come to this; I never thought the three of you would turn traitor."

"Who has turned traitor?" Sain said, pointing his lance at Eagler. "Kent and I are following the orders of our liege-lord Marquess Hausen, not his pernicious brother Lundgren!"

"General Eagler, we've worked so hard to bring Lady Lyndis safely to Caelin-" Kent began.

Eagler's horse pawed the ground as he snorted. "And yet you have no proof of the girl's identity, do you?"

Kent frowned unhappily. "Well, no, but-"

"Just look at the girl!" Wallace said, gesturing to Lyn, who stood tall and looked wary, a hand on her sword. "Can't you tell she's Lady Madelyn and Lord Hassar's daughter?"

"Looks mean nothing," Eagler said. "I name you traitors all. Prepare yourselves!" The soldiers in the roadblock readied their weapons, and the members of Lyn's group did likewise.

Wallace shook his head sadly. "Eagler… It's Nanette, isn't it? Lundgren has her, doesn't he?"

"It is irrelevant," the general said gruffly.

"It is not irrelevant!" Wallace cried. "Come with us, Eagler! We have a first-class tactician here! He'll save your daughter!"

Eagler closed the faceplate of his helmet. "It cannot be done. But I would sooner die without honour than risk her life. This discussion is over!" The footsoldiers began to advance as Eagler set his lance and spurred his horse to a gallop, straight at them.

Eagler had clearly set up his strategy ahead of time, and was now letting it play out as he had planned with a minimum of interference or adjustment. Ceniro knew the advantages and disadvantages of such a decision, but he preferred to think with the situation, especially since he was not participating in the actual combat and so had the attention for such things. Eagler's soldiers spread out and as Lyn's group parted before Eagler, his soldiers began to attempt to flank them.

Ceniro sent Lyn and Wallace to face Eagler and except for the non-combatants, directed the rest of the group to hold back the soldiers, a feat easier said than done with how badly they were outnumbered. The only solution was to be more mobile than the footsoldiers and to use Lucius and Erk's magic and Wil and Rath's arrows to direct the soldiers where Ceniro wanted them to go. Dorcas and Matthew were actually the most vulnerable, besides Florina to the enemy archers; Ceniro took a chance and sent her to circle around and attack the archers from the rear through the fog. With a protective spell from Serra in place, she obeyed, while the other soldiers constantly found their paths blocked by fire or a knight's lance.

Even though the air was cool, he found himself sweating. He'd faced worse, he told himself, both in training and now in real life. But there were so many lethal weapons pointed at his friends… He had to stay calm, avoid giving orders too fast to be intelligible. His eyes darted around the battlefield, from Matthew taking advantage of a distraction caused by Dorcas to take down two soldiers from behind, to where Lucius had just blasted a soldier with light and Kent rode through the afterglow to attack an axeman with his sword. Florina had managed to take down three of the archers, although the fourth eluded her, and she was now engaging in hit-and-run tactics on the forward soldiers.

Lyn and Wallace were still facing Eagler; Ceniro hoped that he would see reason through combat, although his hope was faint after hearing that Eagler's daughter was a hostage. Wallace had taken Eagler's charge and turned it aside, and Lyn was taking advantage of the change in momentum to launch her own attack. But Ceniro couldn't do more than glance at them and trust Lyn and Wallace; the other battle was taking too much of his attention.

Florina shrieked, and Lyn flinched; Ceniro looked up to see she had been struck by the last archer and had fallen from her pegasus, tumbling through the air. Before Ceniro could stop him and send in Dorcas instead, Wil had launched himself forward, eyes fixed on the falling girl, arms outstretched – and in danger of being attacked by a large man with an axe. Ceniro shouted to Rath and Nils, and the large man fell backwards, an arrow in his eye, just as Wil clumsily caught Florina and was flattened by the force of her fall. Serra rushed forward, heedless of danger herself, to heal the arrow wound in Florina's side; it looked deep, and Florina was unconscious and white as paper.

Even as Florina's bleeding ceased and Wil sat up, rubbing his tailbone, another cry of pain rang out over the battlefield. Everyone turned to see General Eagler, now dismounted and fighting Wallace sword-to-sword, fall, slashed across the gut.

Wallace immediately knelt, pulling the helmet from Eagler's head. "Eagler!" Kent and Sain rushed over, dismounting and running with Lyn to Eagler's side.

"Go… quickly," the fallen general gasped. "The marquess… knows nothing… of any of this. There's no illness… only… poison. Please… for Caelin's sake… and Nanette's… Lady Lyndis…"

Lyn clasped his hand. "I promise you, we will save her."

Eagler was silent and still.

The soldiers looked at them, and at each other, and surrendered.

.

A short while later, as Wallace directed the Caelin solders to take Eagler's body to his estate for burial, Lyn went to Kent and Sain. "What sort of man was he?"

"He was our first teacher, before we trained with General Wallace," Sain said.

"A just man, honourable, but compassionate," Kent said. "A fine captain, and a good teacher. I… wish we could have saved him."

"He would have fought to the death, no matter what we did or said," Sain said. "He always was stubborn to a fault, too, remember. But… I'll miss him."

Wallace approached them. "Eagler was a good man. A brave comrade in battle, a faithful friend, and a true knight. He did what his honour demanded."

Lyn was silent a long moment, looking up the road, where the mist was just beginning to thin out as it climbed out of the valley. "May Lundgren never rest peacefully in the embrace of Mother Earth!" she burst out, her hands clenched and chest heaving. "I _will_ stop that man from despoiling this land and her people! Ceniro!"

"L-Lyn!"

"We're going to bring his wicked dreams down around his head tomorrow, I swear it! Let's go!"


	11. Chapter 10: The Distant Plains

Chapter 10: The Distant Plains

.

Kent no longer led the group by the main roads, but as they drew near the castle the next day, it became clear that Lundgren was not taking any chances. The closer they got to the castle, the more patrols Rath, Wil, and Matthew warned them of, and as they reached the edge of a forest overlooking the valley of Caelin Castle in the early afternoon, they saw it was crawling with soldiers.

Lyn had already suggested to Florina that flying was a bad idea that day, and so they were hidden for the time being, but it looked like it would be almost impossible to reach the castle – certainly impossible while remaining unseen. To make matters worse, it had been raining off and on the entire day, making everyone uncomfortable and the horses slow. Lyn had been irritable, snappishly refusing any help from anyone. Ceniro assumed she was nervous. Wallace had been attempting to distract her by telling her stories of her mother when she was a little girl, but Lyn was only partly listening. Which meant she was really nervous.

Since the little forest they were in gave a good view of the valley but seemed relatively far from the soldiers, they decided to take a break, partly to regain their energy, and partly to give Ceniro a chance to observe the enemy movements and make his plans accordingly.

Ceniro ate his snack near Erk; he had not talked as much to the young mage as the others, but he liked him. "I think I should – we should apologize for dragging you everywhere. I'm sure this is not what you signed up for in the slightest." He looked around for Lucius. "Lucius, too. You just offered to help Nils, and we kind of brought you along without a second thought all these weeks."

Lucius smiled and shook his head calmly. "I said before that I was happy to help Lady Lyndis in her goal and to defeat those who would harm others."

"Oh. I'm sorry, I missed that part…"

"If I had wanted to go, or if my master had sent for me, I could have left at any time. Do not trouble yourself."

"It's not anything to worry about with me either," Erk said. "I'm just here to escort Serra, and she wouldn't leave unless someone very high-rank ordered her out… which Lady Lyndis doesn't seem inclined to do. It's fine. She's so distracted with everything else I've gotten far more studying done than I thought I would on this trip. And… I'm doing good. I think my teacher would approve. So don't feel you or Lady Lyn are obligated to feel responsible for it."

"Yes, exactly," Lucius said.

"I'm glad," Ceniro said. "I didn't really think about it for a while, and I felt bad that I was so careless towards you." Was that a pattern he saw in the patrols, or just a coincidence?

"Ooh, are you talking about me?" Serra herself said, and plumped herself down beside him. "You were talking about what a boon I am to this group! I know it!"

Ceniro smiled. "We certainly couldn't have come this far without you and your skills, Serra. I for one am very grateful."

Erk muttered something, and Lucius smiled serenely.

Serra ignored them both. "W-well… that's good!" she said, apparently not expecting him to respond that way. "You should feel grateful! I'm very generous, donating my time like this!" She softened a little. "But… you're the one giving the orders. I don't think Lady Lyn would have come half so far without you."

"Y-you give me too much credit," Ceniro stammered. "It's only because of Lyn's passion that we've come so far. She's a wonderful leader."

"What did you say?" Sain asked, looking around. "Did everyone hear that? You should say that again, louder."

"W-what- I don't-"

"Go on," Serra said. "She does have lots of passion and charisma! Almost as much as me!"

Ceniro stood up at Sain's insistent wave and cleared his throat awkwardly. "I-I think a lot of y-you in this group give me far too much credit for bringing us this far. It's all thanks to Lyn's passion that we've come here, thanks to her leadership. I have by far the easiest job here; I just figure out who should be fighting where. Everyone else has a much harder job – you trust me and the things I say, and I know that can't be easy, not when I ask crazy things like that Lucius be in the front line or that Florina assault an archer. You're the ones who have to fight, to kill the enemy and to not get killed by the enemy. I can't do that."

"You think so?" Lyn herself asked. "But I'm sure we would have found it much harder to accomplish everything we've done, especially without anyone dying, without you." She smiled at him warmly from across camp, for the first time that day. "Split the credit fifty-fifty?"

Ceniro blushed. "O-okay, if… if you insist." Matthew grumbled something, and Salir giggled.

"And I want to thank all of you," Lyn said, spreading her arms towards them all. "I never thought things would be this way when I left home, but I am grateful to all of you for coming with me while we make this attempt to unite me with my grandfather. The final battle is upon us, and I won't say I'm not worried, as you can probably tell, but I have faith in every one of you, that you will get me to my goal. So… thank you." She bowed, and her green hair brushed the ground. Everyone clapped for her, and she was a little bit pink when she straightened up and coughed awkwardly.

"Have you found a way through yet?" Lyn asked Ceniro more seriously, coming towards him – oh no, she was coming towards him – to look out over the valley.

"Maybe," he said. "I'm wondering if Florina would be willing to be a decoy for us. If she were to appear on the north side of the castle, it would make it a lot easier for us here on the south side."

"Mm. I'll ask her. One moment."

Ceniro trailed after Lyn as she went over to speak to the pegasus knight. Florina seemed willing, but intimidated. "M-maybe if… Lyn, I know you can't come with me, but maybe…"

"I'll go with you?" Ninian said, standing up. "I can't fight, but… I can be moral support? I'm not too heavy, I think."

"I was actually thinking that you and Nils and the other civilians could stay here, or head to one of the villages nearby," Ceniro said. "This is the final battle, I think, and… if we lose, it would be awful if you were hurt or killed because of us."

Ninian shook her head, her long hair swaying around her. "Everyone else follows because they want to help. Nils and I can help too, and we won't be left behind now just because we can't fight. Nils helps with his flute. My ankle is still bothering me, but I can ride with Dame Florina and watch for danger."

"We'd feel bad if you lost because you could have used us!" Nils said. "I know the risks are high, but we don't want to leave just yet. We have faith in you."

"Please, Ceniro," Ninian said, clasping her hands. "I will do my best, I really will."

"…If you insist," Ceniro said. "Florina, all you have to do is fly and not get hit by arrows or magic. I don't expect you to fight. I don't even want you to fight. Just distract them. Ninian will help you watch for archers."

"So I can come?" Ninian asked, smiling. "That's fine, right, Nils?"

"Like you said, trusting isn't easy in general," Nils chirped. "But I do trust you, Ceniro. And it sounds like it won't be _too_ dangerous, if you're just flying, Ninian. So it's fine."

"Thanks," Ninian said, smiling. "I thought you would say that."

"Th-thank you," Florina stammered. "I'm very grateful, and to you, Ninian. I know I'll do a good job now!"

"That's right!" Lyn said. "Shall we start now?"

"May as well," Ceniro said. "Florina, back track a bit north, and then head west to the north side of the castle. There's some villages up there you can take shelter in if they get too close. Watch out for the weather. We'll launch our assault ten minutes after they see you."

"Okay!" Florina said, saluting in the Ilian style with a bright and hopeful smile. He wondered if he should tell her what to do if they failed, but… no, it would only discourage her. He pushed his doubts out of his mind and smiled back. If they did fail, she and Ninian would be smart enough to get away, hopefully.

"Well, we have a little while, then," Lyn said.

"Actually, we can move out now too," Ceniro said. "We're still a couple hours away from the castle ourselves, and we can get closer without being seen."

"Will you be charging them head-on?" Wallace said hopefully.

"N-no, we don't have enough people for that," Ceniro said. "That's why we've been so cautious so far."

"It's all right, lad. I understand. You've done a good job so far, and I'll follow your commands the rest of the way," the old general assured him. "I would never have given the sort of orders you do – I'd say magic here, archers here, knights here, and let the rest work itself out – and probably take many casualties. I care for my men, I do, but I always thought that casualties were a fact of war… unless someone stopped the fighting with clever words. But even though Lundgren won't be stopped by words now, I've seen that battle can be won without losing anyone. In fact, I'd say you held back yesterday."

"W-what do you mean?" Ceniro asked.

"You could have completely annihilated Eagler's men, but instead you asked them to surrender." Ceniro didn't point out that Eagler's soldiers had surrendered on their own, or that he really didn't like seeing defeated men executed – slaughtered, maybe, was a word for it, especially since they might not be acting of their own conviction, thanks to Lundgren. "If it were me, I would say this fight was impossible. But I think you have a chance. So what's your plan?"

Ceniro ducked his head. "Let me explain…"

.

Anastasia, Kent's mother, was all right with being left at the nearest village, but Salir flatly refused to go. "I'm not going anywhere when my fiancé is fighting for his life and his liege-lady's honour," she said. "I can be a distraction, too!"

At this, Anastasia changed her mind, saying: "If my son is in danger, I don't wish to wait in such fear and apprehension."

"But mother…" Kent said. "I would be so much easier in my mind if I knew you were safe. I fear for you too."

"And I for you," Sain said to Salir. "Remember the bandits? Now we're fighting against our own former comrades, and they're much better than bandits. I might not be able to protect you as well."

Salir's face fell. "I wasn't much help then… But that was a whole year ago!"

"One minute," Sain said to them, and took Salir aside to talk to her more earnestly.

"Oh look, they're having a serious conversation for once," Matthew quipped quietly to Ceniro. Ceniro believed him, although he blushed and turned away once they started kissing.

In a few minutes, Sain and Salir were back, with surprisingly sombre faces. Sain kissed her hand, and Salir went to stand with Anastasia. "I'll go to the village."

Kent and Dorcas went to escort the women to the village nearby, while Ceniro began to lead the group down into the valley, not directly towards the castle, but to the south, where a small river from the east joined a larger one from the north. They'd have to find their own way across, as the bridge was heavily guarded, but they'd be wet long before they arrived, as it began to rain.

"How did you meet Salir, anyway?" Ceniro asked Sain as the knight carefully led his horse across the slippery, uneven ground.

"It was about three years ago we started hanging out regularly, just when Kent and I had been knighted," Sain said. "I liked going to Coril for the local beer and dragged him along, and she worked in the inn there. I was trying to show Kent how to talk to girls, and… it backfired."

"What do you mean?"

Sain stifled a hearty laugh, grinning broadly. "I thought she was sixteen. It turned out she was fourteen. I had no idea! She gave as good as she got with the flirting and all… But anyway, after I took my foot out of my mouth, we started talking on the regular, and she's fun to be around. Kent and I and a few others saved Coril from bandits sometime last year, and shortly afterwards I asked her to marry me. My parents aren't too keen on the idea, but I know she's the right girl for me!"

"She clearly adores you," Ceniro said. "I'm sure you'll be happy together. When are you getting married?"

"Next spring, so make sure you come back for that!" Sain slapped him on the shoulder. "I bet you go wandering off again, but you have to come back for that. Maybe we can get Lucius to officiate… or Lady Lyn! Hmm, Lucius, will you be around next spring?"

"I couldn't say," the monk said. "My master will probably send for me before then. Besides, I… have never done a wedding before."

"Oh, I'm sure it's pretty easy," Sain said. "You tell us to be good to each other, and make us say some vows, and then I kiss her, and we're married!" He winked.

"Please tell me you're putting more thought into it than that," Serra exclaimed, scandalized, although she coldly ignored Lucius. "You can't just treat your wedding so lightly! You should make your bride feel extra-special! Like a princess- no, like a queen! And then how is your marriage going to work out with such little thought?"

Matthew coughed, a cough that seemed to have the words 'pot' and 'kettle' in it. Erk snorted.

Sain shook his head cheerfully. "Please have some faith in me, Lady Serra! I was teasing, that's all."

"I just want to make sure," Serra scolded, shaking her staff at him.

"That's all right! Oh, Lady Lyn! Would you officiate, then?"

"If I must," Lyn said. "I've never done one before either. And first we have to win this fight." Her face was set in grim lines.

"I'll fight through worse than this for Salir's sake," Sain said, trying to lighten her mood again, but for once, he failed. Lyn sighed and moved on ahead. Sain shrugged.

Kent and Dorcas returned shortly, just when they had reached the river. The water was cold, even for summer, but this was the best place to cross, according to Kent, being not so deep and swift here, and it was a good place to venture out into the patrol-infested valley beyond. Indeed, it only came up to Ceniro's waist, and he was far from the tallest person in the group. Sain gallantly let Serra ride his horse across, while Kent assisted Nils, but Lyn forged ahead on her own without help from anyone. Ceniro wondered what she was thinking. He often wondered, but he wondered more now.

Once across, things became slow, even when the rain stopped and the sun came out fitfully; it didn't do much to dry them. More important at the moment was the need to stay out of sight, behind hedges, in fields, anywhere that offered concealment. Even Wallace managed to keep the rattle of his armour to a minimum. If they were spotted here, they would get bogged down in fighting and the rest of the Caelin army would be able to surround them. If that happened, Ceniro was certain he would lose. There were some things he had no answer for, not yet. But Matthew and Rath reported that a lot of the soldiers were moving away, and once the rain had cleared, he caught a distant glimpse of a white speck that was Florina and Ninian, quite high – probably too high to be shot at.

Even if they weren't surrounded by the Caelin army out here an hour away from the castle, his plan was a shaky all-or-nothing at best. It all came down to confronting Lundgren; if he could be defeated, then surely the other soldiers would have no reason to fight. But… if Lundgren defeated Lyn, or if a significant number of soldiers turned out to be loyal to him, then everyone would die.

There were so many ways to lose this day, and he had to carefully pick through the options to find the few that would lead to survival. It was frightening, and he found his heart beating nervously. They hadn't even seen battle yet. Was this how Lyn was feeling? Would it get better once the sneaking around was over and they had no choice but to go for it?

They were still a ways away from the castle when all available cover ended. Ceniro frowned at the castle, willing it to be closer. There was a regiment to their right that they had passed a while ago, and there was one on their left, closer to the castle, that was going to be a problem, and that didn't even reckon with the castle itself. How many archers would there be inside it? Wallace would have to take Lyn forward.

He looked back at his group and nodded.

"This is it," Lyn said, and he nodded again.

"Here we go," he said, more to himself than anyone else. "Everyone, head for the soldiers on the left! We'll clear them out before we head to the castle. Do it fast, before the others can come to their aid!"

"Just leave it to me," Wallace cried, brandishing his lance and rushing forward, out of cover. "I'll send them crying!"

It wasn't quite as simple as that, and it took longer than Ceniro would have wished, but they were through the enemy before the other soldiers could catch up to them. The Caelin soldiers seemed disorganized, but perhaps it was their surprise that Lyn's group had gotten so close, unseen. Ceniro frowned again at the castle. This was a proper castle, not like the little fortresses and towers he'd had to take so far. This was the seat of power for an entire canton, and it was composed of multiple parts, all of which were built to defend each other. How was he going to take this? He still didn't have a clear idea, and he hated it.

Who was that on the walls of the castle? He frowned harder at the distant figure, but it turned and vanished into a tower. Was it Lundgren?

They were within arrowshot now. "Everyone, stay alert for arrows. Wallace, shelter Lyn! Everyone else, forward at your discretion." The castle gate was open. Was Lundgren overconfident, or was he inviting them into a trap? "We'll start by taking the gate-house-"

A figure appeared in the gate, and Ceniro fell silent. He knew it was Lundgren. The ornate, gilded crest of arms on the man's chest proclaimed it, and the haughty sneer and aristocratic hair confirmed it. Wallace shouted in anger, and Lyn gripped her sword more tightly.

"You traitor, General Wallace," Lundgren snarled. "You failed to take out the imposter, and instead joined her!?"

"I must do what is best for Caelin, not necessarily what is best for you," Wallace shot back, leveling his spear for a charge. "Lady Lyndis is Lady Madelyn's true daughter! We both know you're pretending she's an imposter. Drop it, there's no use."

Lundgren was looking around at the group, and Ceniro realized that the castle was much less defended than he had anticipated. Lundgren must have turned out the entire garrison to keep them away, and left no one to defend it. In that case, if they could get past him, they were home free! He inhaled to give orders, and Lundgren interrupted him. "Ah, Kent, Sain. You must have worked hard to bring this girl here, at the orders of my brother."

"I will not listen to your poisoned words, Lord Lundgren!" Kent cried.

"I'm curious, though," Sain said, grinning. "Go onnnnn."

"You're not like that stubborn fool there," Lundgren said, smiling a little in return. "Leave this unworthy child and join me at my side. In my service, you will become a general and a lord, and all of Lycia will know of your name!"

"As if they don't already," Wil said to himself, chuckling. Ceniro was looking around, and the other regiment of soldiers was rushing closer… They would have to finish this soon or they would be trapped between soldiers and Lundgren.

"It's a gracious offer, my lord," Sain said politely, bowing in his saddle. "But I'm quite fond of my friend the stubborn fool, and my allegience is sworn to noble Marquess Hausen and lovely Lady Lyn! Not to mention it was you who kidnapped my fiancée and Kent's mother! I will fight to my last breath to defend them all!"

"Then your last breath will be here at my lance!" Lundgren growled, his face contorting in rage. "Where is this girl, anyway? This cowardly girl claiming kinship with my brother!? The House of Caelin has no need of a Sacaean mongrel!"

"I'm right here!" Lyn shouted, sprinting foward with sword ready to attack. "Your evil ambitions have harmed my grandfather and the very land you ought to serve! Prepare yourself, for I have neither pity nor mercy for you, and I do not forgive!"

"Lyn-" Ceniro began, his heart clenching, and broke off, biting his lip. She didn't need his interference. "No one interfere!"

"Aye," said another voice, and Ceniro looked over to see they were surrounded by Caelin soldiers. "No one interfere until it's all over."

Ceniro frowned, and quietly rearranged some of his friends to give them the best chance possible of breaking free, should the duel end badly. But… if it did go badly, he didn't have much hope. There were too many soldiers. Maybe one or two people would escape… but not everyone.

And if it did end badly… Lyn would be dead. He took a deep shuddering breath. It was so difficult to watch her, with that in mind. She was so incredibly beautiful, and strong and graceful, and that could change at any moment, if she slipped even for a breath.

If she died, he… wouldn't give up, not while his other friends could escape. But he himself wasn't going anywhere. Matthew was right. He should have said something.

He mentally slapped himself for thinking of something so irrelevant while Lyn was fighting for their lives. The sun was beginning to cloud over again, and a big fat raindrop landed on his nose, startling him.

The Mani Katti was shimmering through the air as Lyn sliced and stabbed at Lundgren, leaping out of the way of his attacks. The rain didn't bother her at all, not even with her hair sticking to her back, and she never seemed to lose her footing on the wet cobbles before the castle. Lundgren was more cautious with the rain. If either of them slipped and fell, it would be the end.

"Give up," Lundgren said to her. "If you surrender, I'll only turn you out of the country, and all your little friends can leave with their lives."

"You're a horrible liar," Lyn snarled, ducking under his spear.

"Stop dodging!" Lundgren roared, and Lyn staggered back a pace with a scream as the lance pierced her left arm. Ceniro's heart felt like it stopped beating.

Serra jumped, but Wallace waved her back. "Lady Lyn must win with her own strength. Have faith in her!"

Lyn clutched at the wound with her other hand, blood streaming down her arm. But her eyes were still determined, and she showed no signs of retreating.

"Why won't you give up?" Lundgren cried. "This should all have been mine by now! A doddering old man and a savage girl-"

Lyn didn't even reply, only leapt forward. She dodged around the stab of Lundgren's lance, though it grazed her side, and thrust the point of the Mani Katti squarely through the crest on his breastplate. The katana flashed brilliantly under the rain, and the breastplate gave way before it.

Lundgren crashed to the ground, his lance falling from his hand.

.

Lyn rushed into the castle, and he chased after her. He wasn't much taller than she was, and she was very determined, but he wasn't letting her out of his sight, either.

At the great door to the main hall, they were met by a distinguished-looking gentleman. "Lady Lyndis?"

"Who are you?" Lyn demanded, but it had given Ceniro time to catch up, and the others were hurrying after him. "Can I see my grandfather?" Serra caught up, and began to tend to Lyn's arm and side. Ceniro wondered if she could even feel the pain of her wounds through all the adrenaline she must be feeling. But they were healing now.

"I am Reissmann, the chancellor to the Caelin family. It gives me great joy to welcome you home."

"Great," Lyn said. "Does my grandfather yet live?"

"Yes. I will take you to him now. I'm afraid your friends cannot come with you; he is very weak, and has asked for no visitors."

Lyn looked hard at the chancellor for a moment, before nodding. "Very well. Lead the way."

"And the rest of you, look lively!" Wallace bellowed. "We've got some very tired wanderers here! What does a retired general have to do to get some service around here!?"

Ceniro wasn't quite sure what happened next, but at the end of it, he had a guest room to share with Wil, and a small tub with hot water for a bath, and clean clothes that were far too good for him, and a soft bed to relax on. His window had a view of the courtyard, so he saw Florina and Ninian when they came to land, someone having evidently gone out to tell the other soldiers that everything had been resolved.

He washed and dressed in the nice clothes, and lay back on the bed to relax a bit, and suddenly felt very tired. For half an hour, he knew nothing.

.

Wil was poking him, and Ceniro grunted and swatted at him.

"No, seriously, it's time to get up," Wil said. "It's time for dinner! You don't want to miss that, do you?"

"I guess not," Ceniro said, smiling as his stomach protested. "It's just… so hard to believe we made it, and all the sudden lack of worry has me sleepy."

"It would be harder to believe that we didn't make it," Wil said, grinning, and Ceniro had to admit he had a point. "C'mon, up and at 'em! You don't want to miss having a proper meal with Lady Lyn, do you?"

Ceniro blushed and glared at Wil, who laughed and left the room.

Lyn was at dinner, her eyes sparkling; her grandfather was alive, and had talked to her and acknowledged her as his granddaughter, and she hoped that with the cessation of the poison and her encouragement, he would recover fully.

The next morning, when the companions gathered in the garden of the castle, it was discovered that Matthew had slipped out during the night. When they had gathered, Serra announced her intention of heading on towards Ostia, as her original goal was, and Erk nodded with resignation. Nils and Ninian, too, were heading onwards on their travels, at least in a couple of days. Lyn hugged all of them and wished them well, and Kent ensured that everyone would have plenty of food and money to see them on their way.

"But you're staying, right, Lady Lyn?" Sain asked, Salir hanging off his arm. "Tell me truly!"

Lyn smiled. "At least until my grandfather is better. I can't leave him while he's ill. He's the only family I have left, and I want him to have a long life."

"I heard from the physician that he already looks like a new man," Kent said.

"In that case," Florina said, with an air of great decision. "Um, who can I talk to, to join the Caelin knights?"

"That would be this fellow," Sain said, pointing at Kent.

Kent blinked. "Me?"

"Oh yes! It's not official yet, but Chancellor Reissmann told me that you and I are going to be the new Knight Commanders of Caelin! And you're going to be the senior commander!"

"Why didn't he tell me?" Kent said, taking the news awfully calmly for being told he was the new Knight Commander at the age of twenty. "In any case, Florina, you will be very welcome to stay here."

"We'll be together always, Lady Lyn!" Florina cried, hugging her friend.

"That does make me happy, but… Florina, to you, I'm still just Lyn."

"But Kent and Sain follow the rules! I should, too, even though you're my best friend. I'm just happy that I get to stay with you! What I call you doesn't matter, doesn't it?"

Lyn hung her head and sighed. "If you insist…"

"I'd like to stay too, if that's okay," Wil spoke up, smiling broadly.

"Weren't you going to visit your family?" Lyn asked. "You're welcome to stay as well, just…"

"I was, but… It would be a shame to completely dismantle Lyn's Legion, no? I'll send them a letter or something. They'll understand!"

"Well, thank you," Lyn said. "How about the rest of you, are you staying too?"

"I should be getting back to Natalie," Dorcas said. "But… I think we'll be moving to Lycia soon. It seems a far better place for her than North Bern. Keep an eye out for us."

"I certainly will," Lyn said. "Best wishes to you both!" Dorcas bowed.

"I might stay for a while," Lucius said. "You are all such good people, and I am blessed to have met you and journeyed with you."

"I might, but you have no need of my services anymore," Rath said. "I will probably go soon."

"You're welcome to stay as long as you like, services or no," Lyn said. "But I understand." She turned to Wallace. "I assume you're staying, of course."

Wallace guffawed. "Actually, no, Lady Lyndis! I had so much fun swinging my lance around that I think I might go on my own adventure! But thanks for thinking of me!"

"But General," Sain cried. "By yourself? What about your farm?"

"Ah, my landlady can take care of my farm. And don't worry about me, young Sain! You just help Kent whip the garrison into shape! When I come back…"

"Yes, sir!" Kent cried, straightening to attention, and Wallace laughed again.

Lyn turned to Ceniro. "Oh! Ceniro, I almost forgot about you. Will you be staying?"

He hesitated. "I-I… for a little while, I'd like to, yes." He tried to ignore Salir's giggling and Wil's eyebrow waggle.

Lyn smiled, apparently oblivious to the others' antics. "That's good. You were the first person I met on this journey, and it would be a shame to part right away. I'm glad."

.

A few days later, Lord Hausen was well enough to meet with the remaining companions, sitting up in his bed with Lyn sitting on a chair placed at his right hand. Ceniro felt the entire interview was a blur, although Lord Hausen was very gracious and Lyn being there helped a lot. Fortunately, Ceniro wasn't called upon to talk very much. Kent did most of it, with many interjections from Sain, and a few from Wil. Ceniro was just happy to have met Lyn's grandfather, and that he did seem to be as kind and patient as rumour said.

And over the following couple of weeks, everything was topsy-turvy, both busy and tranquil. Ceniro had little to do, but he went wandering around Caelin, and when he could, he went with Lyn and the knights and Florina and Wil. Kent taught him to ride a horse, though Ceniro decided in the end that he preferred walking. Salir and Anastasia had gone home to their respective villages, but the knights were eager to show Lyn and Ceniro around their homeland, and they visited Coril more than once, and met both of Kent's parents in their home. General Eagler's daughter Nanette was freed, and she returned to her father's estate to mourn him.

And yet… there wasn't much time Ceniro could spend with just Lyn. She was almost busier than Kent and Sain, and while she did try to make time for him… He wanted to tell her things, but it was harder than ever to find the words. Besides, she was a lady now, even if she insisted it was only temporary. What would be thought if it came out that a carpenter's son from Santaruz had made a pass at the princess of Caelin?

A couple weeks later, he set out after dinner, alone and without telling anyone.

He hadn't gone far when he heard hoofbeats behind him, and turned to see – not one of the knights, but Lyn herself, chasing after him. "Ceniro!"

He stopped and waited for her. "Um… hi, Lyn." It sounded incredibly lame, even to his own ears.

Lyn pulled up beside him and dismounted, frowning a little in disappointment. "You weren't going to sneak off like some of the others, were you?"

He looked at his boots, embarrassed and feeling bad. "I'm really bad at farewells, and, um, it's time I was on my way."

She relented, her face melting into a slightly melancholy smile. "I'll really miss you, you know. You've done so much for me, and…" She trailed off, and they were left staring awkwardly at each other.

As the silence dragged on, Ceniro got the impression she was waiting for him to say something – or do something. He cleared his throat, looking away, and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well, you're all set now, with your grandfather and the others. Are you going to take him to the plains when he's well?"

"Yes, when he's well, and when he's not too busy. I'm told that he has a lot of work to do, setting the things Lundgren did back to rights."

"Ah. I see."

Another awkward silence. The wind blew past them, tugging gently at Lyn's hair and Ceniro's cloak.

Lyn started. "Oh! I almost forgot." She turned to her saddle and removed from it a long staff of ash wood. "I thought you might like this, since yours got broken before."

He smiled with delight. "Oh, thank you! Th-that's very thoughtful of you. I'll take care of it."

"Ceniro," Lyn blurted out as he took it, "y-you like me, right?"

Ceniro flinched away from her, his eyes going wide, and his breath freezing in his lungs. "…Ummmmm…"

"Y-you do, right?" Lyn said, turning bright red – almost as red as he was turning.

"Well, um, yes, everyone does-"

"No, I mean…" She took a step closer to him, and he swallowed hard. "Do you… do you love me?"

Well, there was no getting around it now, and there was no way to hide his face. "Y-y-yes. Um. Yes, I do. Um."

She smiled in a giggly way, still blushing. "I thought so! Um, I, um, like you too."

He stared, completely forgetting to breathe, and the staff fell from his hands.

"So, um, let's meet again!" Lyn said cheerfully. "I understand if you don't want to stay, of course, you're a wanderer, and you told me you always want to see what's over the next hill, but… you will come back eventually, right?"

"L-lyn, I'm- I'm not the right guy-"

"That's not true!" Lyn said, a bit too loudly. "You are if I say you are. Don't worry about what anyone else thinks. All right?"

"A-all right."

"So are you going to kiss me or what?" Lyn asked, forging ahead with awkwardly defiant bravado.

Ceniro swallowed. "Um."

He reached out to take her in his arms – that was a good start, right? Her arms went around his neck, and for a moment they just held each other. Her hair was just as silken as it looked, and whatever he had imagined of hugging her smooth curves fell short of the real thing. She smelled like grass, like a fresh wind from another country.

Then she leaned forward, and before he could process what was happening, her lips were on his, and an indescribable feeling of happiness filled him from head to toe.


End file.
